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Otaki JM, Sakauchi K, Taira W. The second decade of the blue butterfly in Fukushima: Untangling the ecological field effects after the Fukushima nuclear accident. INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT 2022; 18:1539-1550. [PMID: 35475314 DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Many field observations of the biological effects of the Fukushima nuclear accident have been reported in the first decade after the accident. A series of observational and experimental studies have demonstrated causal adverse effects on the pale grass blue butterfly even at the low-level radiation exposure in the "field," contrary to the dosimetric view that insects are generally tolerant of radiation exposure. However, it has been demonstrated that the pale grass blue butterfly is tolerant of high oral doses of anthropogenic radioactive cesium (137 Cs) under "laboratory" conditions. This field-laboratory paradox can be explained by ecological field effects; for example, radiation stress in the field causes physiological and biochemical changes in the host plant, which then trophically affects butterfly larvae. The second decade of butterfly-based Fukushima research will be devoted to demonstrating how such adverse field effects occur. Changes in the host plant's nutritional contents likely affect butterfly physiology. The host plant may also upregulate secondary metabolites that affect herbivorous insects. The plant may be affected by changes in endophytic soil microbes in radioactively contaminated areas. If demonstrated, these results will reveal that the delicate ecological balances among the butterfly, its host plant, and soil microbes have been affected by radioactive pollution in Fukushima, which has important implications for environmental policies and human health. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2022;18:1539-1550. © SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joji M Otaki
- The BCPH Unit of Molecular Physiology, Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Ko Sakauchi
- The BCPH Unit of Molecular Physiology, Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Wataru Taira
- The BCPH Unit of Molecular Physiology, Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan
- Research Planning Office, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan
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Burraco P, Car C, Bonzom JM, Orizaola G. Assessment of exposure to ionizing radiation in Chernobyl tree frogs (Hyla orientalis). Sci Rep 2021; 11:20509. [PMID: 34654841 PMCID: PMC8519934 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00125-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Ionizing radiation can damage organic molecules, causing detrimental effects on human and wildlife health. The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (1986) represents the largest release of radioactive material to the environment. An accurate estimation of the current exposure to radiation in wildlife, often reduced to ambient dose rate assessments, is crucial to understand the long-term impact of radiation on living organisms. Here, we present an evaluation of the sources and variation of current exposure to radiation in breeding Eastern tree frogs (Hyla orientalis) males living in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Total absorbed dose rates in H. orientalis were highly variable, although generally below widely used thresholds considered harmful for animal health. Internal exposure was the main source of absorbed dose rate (81% on average), with 90Sr being the main contributor (78% of total dose rate, on average). These results highlight the importance of assessing both internal and external exposure levels in order to perform a robust evaluation of the exposure to radiation in wildlife. Further studies incorporating life-history, ecological, and evolutionary traits are needed to fully evaluate the effects that these exposure levels can have in amphibians and other taxa inhabiting radio-contaminated environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Burraco
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, 75236, Uppsala, Sweden
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Clément Car
- Research Laboratory on the Effects of Radionuclides on Ecosystems (LECO), Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE/LECO, 13115, Cadarache, Saint Paul Lez Durance, France
| | - Jean-Marc Bonzom
- Research Laboratory on the Effects of Radionuclides on Ecosystems (LECO), Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE/LECO, 13115, Cadarache, Saint Paul Lez Durance, France
| | - Germán Orizaola
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, 75236, Uppsala, Sweden.
- IMIB-Biodiversity Research Institute (Univ. Oviedo-CSIC-Princip. Asturias), University of Oviedo, 33600, Mieres-Asturias, Spain.
- Zoology Unit, Department of Biology of Organisms and Systems, University of Oviedo, 33071, Oviedo-Asturias, Spain.
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Beaugelin-Seiller K, Garnier-Laplace J, Della-Vedova C, Métivier JM, Lepage H, Mousseau TA, Møller AP. Dose reconstruction supports the interpretation of decreased abundance of mammals in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14083. [PMID: 32826946 PMCID: PMC7442794 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70699-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We re-analyzed field data concerning potential effects of ionizing radiation on the abundance of mammals collected in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) to interpret these findings from current knowledge of radiological dose–response relationships, here mammal response in terms of abundance. In line with recent work at Fukushima, and exploiting a census conducted in February 2009 in the CEZ, we reconstructed the radiological dose for 12 species of mammals observed at 161 sites. We used this new information rather than the measured ambient dose rate (from 0.0146 to 225 µGy h−1) to statistically analyze the variation in abundance for all observed species as established from tracks in the snow in previous field studies. All available knowledge related to relevant confounding factors was considered in this re-analysis. This more realistic approach led us to establish a correlation between changes in mammal abundance with both the time elapsed since the last snowfall and the dose rate to which they were exposed. This relationship was also observed when distinguishing prey from predators. The dose rates resulting from our re-analysis are in agreement with exposure levels reported in the literature as likely to induce physiological disorders in mammals that could explain the decrease in their abundance in the CEZ. Our results contribute to informing the Weight of Evidence approach to demonstrate effects on wildlife resulting from its field exposure to ionizing radiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Beaugelin-Seiller
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, Pôle Santé Environnement, PSE-ENV/SRTE, Cadarache, Bâtiment 183, BP3, 13115, Saint Paul lez Durance Cedex, France.
| | - Jacqueline Garnier-Laplace
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, Pôle Santé Environnement, PSE-ENV, Bâtiment 28, BP 17, 92262, Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex, France
| | - Claire Della-Vedova
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, Pôle Santé Environnement, PSE-ENV/SRTE, Cadarache, Bâtiment 183, BP3, 13115, Saint Paul lez Durance Cedex, France
| | - Jean-Michel Métivier
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, Pôle Santé Environnement, PSE-ENV/SEREN, Cadarache, Bâtiment 153, BP3, 13115, Saint Paul lez Durance Cedex, France
| | - Hugo Lepage
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, Pôle Santé Environnement, PSE-ENV/SRTE, Cadarache, Bâtiment 183, BP3, 13115, Saint Paul lez Durance Cedex, France
| | - Timothy A Mousseau
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA
| | - Anders Pape Møller
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, CNRS UMR 8079, Université Paris-Sud, Bâtiment 362, 91405, Orsay Cedex, France
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Strand P, Sundell-Bergman S, Brown JE, Dowdall M. On the divergences in assessment of environmental impacts from ionising radiation following the Fukushima accident. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2017; 169-170:159-173. [PMID: 28119209 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2016.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2016] [Revised: 12/16/2016] [Accepted: 12/16/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The accident at the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on March 11, 2011, led to significant contamination of the surrounding terrestrial and marine environments. Whilst impacts on human health remain the primary concern in the aftermath of such an accident, recent years have seen a significant body of work conducted on the assessment of the accident's impacts on both the terrestrial and marine environment. Such assessments have been undertaken at various levels of biological organisation, for different species, using different methodologies and coming, in many cases, to divergent conclusions as to the effects of the accident on the environment. This article provides an overview of the work conducted in relation to the environmental impacts of the Fukushima accident, critically comparing and contrasting methodologies and results with a view towards finding reasons for discrepancies, should they indeed exist. Based on the outcomes of studies conducted to date, it would appear that in order to avoid the fractured and disparate conclusions drawn in the aftermath of previous accidents, radioactive contaminants and their effects can no longer simply be viewed in isolation with respect to the ecosystems these effects may impact. A combination of laboratory based and field studies with a focus on ecosystem functioning and effects could offer the best opportunities for coherence in the interpretation of the results of studies into the environmental impacts of ionising radiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Strand
- CERAD, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1430 Ås, Norway.
| | - S Sundell-Bergman
- Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Box 7014, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - J E Brown
- Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, Grini næringspark 13, 1332 Østerås, Norway
| | - M Dowdall
- Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, Grini næringspark 13, 1332 Østerås, Norway
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Radiological dose reconstruction for birds reconciles outcomes of Fukushima with knowledge of dose-effect relationships. Sci Rep 2015; 5:16594. [PMID: 26567770 PMCID: PMC4645120 DOI: 10.1038/srep16594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2015] [Accepted: 10/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
We reconstructed the radiological dose for birds observed at 300 census sites in the 50-km northwest area affected by the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant over 2011–2014. Substituting the ambient dose rate measured at the census points (from 0.16 to 31 μGy h−1) with the dose rate reconstructed for adult birds of each species (from 0.3 to 97 μGy h−1), we confirmed that the overall bird abundance at Fukushima decreased with increasing total doses. This relationship was directly consistent with exposure levels found in the literature to induce physiological disturbances in birds. Among the 57 species constituting the observed bird community, we found that 90% were likely chronically exposed at a dose rate that could potentially affect their reproductive success. We quantified a loss of 22.6% of the total number of individuals per increment of one unit log10-tansformed total dose (in Gy), over the four-year post-accident period in the explored area. We estimated that a total dose of 0.55 Gy reduced by 50% the total number of birds in the study area over 2011–2014. The data also suggest a significant positive relationship between total dose and species diversity.
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