Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory (ERL), I.N.RA.S.T.E.S, National Centre for Scientific Research 'Demokritos' (NCSR'D'), Agia Paraskevi, Greece.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2020 May;27(15):18488-18497. doi: 10.1007/s11356-020-08186-5. Epub 2020 Mar 19.
In this study, two software tools, namely the ERICA Assessment Tool and the RESRAD-BIOTA code, are used for the calculation of the radiological exposure of non-human organisms. For the purposes of the analysis, data retrieved from field studies are used. The site-specific measurements were performed on organisms (mammals-sheep and goats of Bovidae spp.) collected from free-ranged grazing regions in Greece. Plants (grass) of Poaceae spp. and soil samples were also collected from these regions. Natural radionuclides (Ra, Ra, and Th) of lithogenic origin and Cs, resulted from human activities (Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear power plant accidents and global fallout), were detected in all samples. The measured activity concentrations were used as input to the two software tools, the ERICA Assessment Tool and the RESRAD-BIOTA code. The results of the simulations provided the external, internal, and total dose rates received by the organisms due to the exposure to the radionuclides. The assessments indicated that out of all detected radionuclides, Th is the main contributor to the external dose and Ra and Ra are the main contributors to the internal dose. The comparative analysis of the two tools revealed significant differences in the calculated doses. In fact, external and internal doses calculated by RESRAD-BIOTA are higher than the values calculated by the ERICA Tool, due to the dose conversion coefficients (DCCs) used for the dose calculation. RESRAD-BIOTA provides more conservative values, but ERICA Tool provides lower uncertainty due to the higher flexibility in the design of the phantom organism. On a risk assessment basis, there is no significant impact, due to organisms' exposure to radioactivity. However, further consideration of the exposure levels is required due to the potential effects of protracted low-level ionizing radiation on the various levels of life's organization.
在这项研究中，使用了两种软件工具，即 ERICA 评估工具和 RESRAD-BIOTA 代码，来计算非人类生物的放射性暴露。为了进行分析，使用了从现场研究中获取的数据。对从希腊自由放牧地区收集的生物（哺乳动物——绵羊和山羊）进行了现场测量。还从这些地区采集了植物（草）和土壤样本。在所有样本中都检测到了源自岩石成因的天然放射性核素（Ra、Ra 和 Th）以及源自人类活动（切尔诺贝利和福岛核电厂事故和全球沉降）的 Cs。将测量的活度浓度用作两种软件工具（ERICA 评估工具和 RESRAD-BIOTA 代码）的输入。模拟结果提供了生物体因暴露于放射性核素而接收到的外部、内部和总剂量率。评估表明，在所检测到的所有放射性核素中，Th 是外部剂量的主要贡献者，Ra 和 Ra 是内部剂量的主要贡献者。对这两种工具的比较分析表明，计算出的剂量存在显著差异。事实上，由于剂量计算中使用的剂量转换系数（DCC），RESRAD-BIOTA 计算出的外部和内部剂量高于 ERICA 工具计算出的值。RESRAD-BIOTA 提供更保守的数值，但由于生物体形态设计的更高灵活性，ERICA 工具提供了更低的不确定性。基于风险评估，由于生物体暴露于放射性，没有显著影响。然而，由于长期低水平电离辐射对生命组织各个层次的潜在影响，需要进一步考虑暴露水平。
