Radiological dose rates to marine fish from the Fukushima Daiichi accident: the first three years across the north Pacific

Johansen, Mathew P.; Ruedig, Elizabeth; Tagami, Keiko; Uchida, Shigeo; Higley, Kathryn; Beresford, Nicholas A.. 2015 Radiological dose rates to marine fish from the Fukushima Daiichi accident: the first three years across the north Pacific. Environmental Science & Technology, 49 (3). 1277-1285. 10.1021/es505064d

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Official URL: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es505064d

Abstract/Summary

A more complete record is emerging of radionuclide measurements in fish tissue, sediment, and seawater samples from near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) and across the Pacific Ocean. Our analysis of publicly available data indicates the dose rates to the most impacted fish species near the FDNPP (median 1.1 mGy d−1, 2012−2014 data) have remained above benchmark levels for potential dose effects at least three years longer than was indicated by previous, data-limited evaluations. Dose rates from 134,137Cs were highest in demersal species with sediment-associated food chains and feeding behaviors. In addition to 134,137Cs, the radionuclide 90Sr was estimated to contribute up to approximately one-half of the total 2013 dose rate to fish near the FDNPP. Mesopelagic fish 100−200 km east of the FDNPP, coastal fish in the Aleutian Islands (3300 km), and trans-Pacific migratory species all had increased dose rates as a consequence of the FDNPP accident, but their total dose rates remained dominated by background radionuclides. A hypothetical human consumer of 50 kg of fish, gathered 3 km from the FDNPP in 2013, would have received a total committed effective dose of approximately 0.95 mSv a−1 from combined FDNPP and ambient radionuclides, of which 0.13 mSv a−1 (14%) was solely from the FDNPP radionuclides and below the 1 mSv a−1 benchmark for public exposure.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1021/es505064d
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Shore
ISSN:	0013-936X
Additional Keywords:	radioecology
NORA Subject Terms:	Ecology and Environment
Date made live:	20 Feb 2015 11:10 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/509816

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

10.1021/es505064d

UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:

Shore

ISSN:

0013-936X

Additional Keywords:

radioecology

NORA Subject Terms:

Ecology and Environment