St-Pierre S, Chambers D B, Lowe L M, Bontoux J G
SENES Consultants Limited, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada.
Health Phys. 1999 Sep;77(3):313-21. doi: 10.1097/00004032-199909000-00011.
Aquatic biota in the Rhone River downstream of the Marcoule nuclear complex in France are exposed to natural sources of radiation and to radioactivity released from the Marcoule complex. A simple conservative screening level model was used to estimate the range of concentrations in aquatic media (water, sediments, and aquatic organisms) of both artificial and natural radionuclides and the consequent absorbed (whole body) dose rates for aquatic organisms. Five categories of aquatic organisms were studied, namely, submerged aquatic plants (phanerogam), non-bottom-feeding fish, bottom-feeding fish, mollusca, and fish-eating birds. The analysis was based on the radionuclide concentrations reported in four consecutive annual radioecological monitoring reports published by French agencies with nuclear regulatory responsibilities. The results of this assessment were used to determine, qualitatively, the magnitude of any potential health impacts on each of the five categories of aquatic organisms studied. The range of dose rate estimates ranged over three orders of magnitude, with maximum dose rates estimated to be in the order of 1 to 10 microGy h(-1). These maximum dose rates are a factor 40 or more below the international guideline intended to ensure the protection of aquatic populations (about 400 microGy h(-1)), and a factor ten or more below the level which may trigger the need for a more detailed evaluation of potential ecological consequences to the exposed populations (about 100 microGy h(-1)). As a result, chronic levels of radioactivity, artificial and natural, measured in aquatic media downstream of Marcoule are unlikely to result in adverse health impacts on the categories and species of aquatic organisms studied. Thus, based on the screening level analysis discussed in this paper, a more detailed evaluation of the dose rates does not appear to be warranted.
法国马尔库勒核设施下游罗纳河中的水生生物，既受到天然辐射源的影响，也受到马尔库勒核设施释放的放射性物质的影响。使用了一个简单的保守筛选水平模型，来估算人工和天然放射性核素在水生介质（水、沉积物和水生生物）中的浓度范围，以及由此产生的水生生物全身吸收剂量率。研究了五类水生生物，即沉水水生植物（显花植物）、非底栖鱼类、底栖鱼类、软体动物和食鱼鸟类。分析基于法国负有核监管责任的机构连续四年发布的年度放射生态监测报告中所报告的放射性核素浓度。该评估结果用于定性确定对所研究的五类水生生物中每一类的任何潜在健康影响的程度。剂量率估计范围跨越三个数量级，最大剂量率估计约为1至10微戈瑞/小时。这些最大剂量率比旨在确保保护水生生物种群的国际准则（约400微戈瑞/小时）低40倍或更多，比可能触发对受影响种群潜在生态后果进行更详细评估的水平（约100微戈瑞/小时）低10倍或更多。因此，在马尔库勒下游水生介质中测得的人工和天然放射性的慢性水平，不太可能对所研究的水生生物类别和物种产生不利健康影响。因此，基于本文所讨论的筛选水平分析，似乎没有必要对剂量率进行更详细的评估。
