Otaki Joji M
BCPH Unit of Molecular Physiology, Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan.
Integr Environ Assess Manag. 2016 Oct;12(4):667-72. doi: 10.1002/ieam.1828.
A series of studies on the pale grass blue butterfly that were carried out to assess the biological effects of the Fukushima nuclear accident teach 3 important lessons. First, it is necessary to have an environmental indicator species, such as the pale grass blue butterfly in Japan, that is common (not endangered), shares a living environment (air, water, and soil) with humans, and is amenable to laboratory experiments. The monitoring of such indicator species before and immediately after a nuclear accident likely reflects acute impacts caused by initial exposure. To assess transgenerational and chronic effects, continuous monitoring over time is encouraged. Second, it is important to understand the actual health status of a polluted region and comprehend the whole picture of the pollution impacts, rather than focusing on the selected effects of radiation alone. In our butterfly experiments, plant leaves from Fukushima were fed to larval butterflies to access whole-body effects, focusing on survival rate and morphological abnormalities (rather than focusing on a specific disease or biochemical marker). Our results revealed that ionizing radiation is unlikely to be the exclusive source of environmental disturbances. Airborne particulate matter from a nuclear reactor, regardless of its radioactivity, is likely equally important. Finally, our butterfly experiments demonstrate that there is considerable variation in sensitivities to nuclear pollution within a single species or even within a local population. Based on these results, it is speculated that high pollution sensitivity in humans may be caused not only by low levels of functional DNA repair enzymes but also by immunological responses to particulate matter in the respiratory tract. These lessons from the pale grass blue butterfly should be integrated in studying future nuclear pollution events and decision making on nuclear and environmental policies at the local and international levels in the postFukushima era. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2016;12:667-672. © 2016 SETAC.
一系列针对姬波灰蝶开展的研究旨在评估福岛核事故的生物学影响，从中可以汲取三条重要经验教训。首先，有必要拥有一种环境指示物种，比如日本的姬波灰蝶，它分布广泛（而非濒危物种），与人类共享生存环境（空气、水和土壤），并且适合进行实验室实验。在核事故前后对这类指示物种进行监测，可能反映出初始暴露造成的急性影响。为了评估跨代和慢性影响，鼓励进行长期持续监测。其次，了解污染地区的实际健康状况并全面把握污染影响，而不是仅关注辐射的特定影响，这一点很重要。在我们的蝴蝶实验中，将来自福岛的植物叶片喂给蝴蝶幼虫，以研究全身影响，重点关注存活率和形态异常（而非关注特定疾病或生化标志物）。我们的结果表明，电离辐射不太可能是环境干扰的唯一来源。核反应堆产生的空气传播颗粒物，无论其放射性如何，可能同样重要。最后，我们的蝴蝶实验表明，即使在单一物种甚至当地种群内部，对核污染的敏感性也存在很大差异。基于这些结果，推测人类对高污染的敏感性可能不仅是由于功能性DNA修复酶水平低，还可能是由于呼吸道对颗粒物的免疫反应。在福岛核事故后的时代，姬波灰蝶带来的这些经验教训应纳入未来核污染事件的研究以及地方和国际层面核与环境政策的决策中。《综合环境评估与管理》2016年；12：667 - 672。© 2016 SETAC。
