Radiation exposure and dose to small mammals in radon-rich soils.

Protection of the environment from radionuclide releases requires knowledge of the normal background levels of radiation exposure in the exposed biotic community and an estimate of the detriment caused by additional exposure. This study modeled the background exposure and dose to the lungs of small burrowing mammals from 222Rn in artificial burrows in radon-rich soils at a site in southeastern Manitoba. E-PERM chambers used to measure 222Rn in soil showed good reproducibility of measurement, with an average coefficient of variance (CV) of about 10%. Geometric mean (GM) 222Rn concentrations at nine randomly selected sites ranged from 5,490 Bq/m3 (GSD = 1.57, n = 7) to 41,000 Bq/m3 (GSD = 1.02, n = 5). Long-term monitoring of 222Rn concentrations in artificial burrows showed large variation within and between burrows and did not show consistent variation with season, orientation of the burrow opening, or levels of 226Ra in the soil. Annual GM concentrations in individual burrows ranged from 7,480 Bq/m3 (GSD = 1.60) to 18,930 Bq/m3 (GSD = 1.81) in burrows several meters apart. A grand GM of 9,990 Bq/m3 (GSD = 1.81, n = 214) was measured over the site for the year. An exposure model was constructed for five small mammal species based on their respiration rates and the number of hours spent in the burrow, active or hibernating, exposed to soil gas 222Rn, and the time spent out of the burrow exposed to atmospheric 222Rn. A background dose of 0.9 mGy/a from atmospheric 222Rn (40 Bq/m3) was estimated for a large-bodied (80 kg), nonburrowing animal living on the soil surface. The highest exposures (mJ/a) in burrowing mammals occurred in those species with the highest respiration rates. Hibernation accounted for a small fraction of total annual exposure (<5%) because of very low respiration rates during this period. Absorbed dose to lung (mGy/a) was highest in the pocket gopher and decreased in the larger animals because of larger lung mass. Using mean 222Rn concentrations from the field studies and an equilibrium factor (F) of 0.5, doses to lung ranged from 90 mGy/a in the badger to 700 mGy/a in the pocket gopher. These doses closely correspond to those estimated from published dose conversion factors (DCFs) of 1.4 mGy per mJ . h/m3 for whole lung. For the ground squirrel, the DCF approach gives an estimated dose of 300 mGy/a versus 270 using the respiratory flow rate method. Based on these results, doses exceeding 500 mGy/a may be common in mammals and birds (i.e. the burrowing owl) living in radon-rich soils. Published risk coefficients for small mammals suggest that about 17 cancers would occur in 1,000 animals at these exposure rates. Although the potential effects from these exposures were not examined in this study, the study raises questions about how the animals may respond physiologically to this largely natural stress.