Abstract
We investigated the accumulation patterns of the artificial radionuclides 137Cs and 239+240Pu in anchovy – categorized into four groups by size– from Korean seas. The activities of 137Cs and 239+240Pu were in the ranges of 74–137 mBq kg−1 and 0.27–3.21 mBq kg−1, respectively. They generally increased with increasing size (except for 239+240Pu in large anchovy), indicating radionuclide accumulation by seawater uptake through respiratory and/or higher feed capacity as a manifestation of growth. However, the activity of 239+240Pu decreased sharply in large anchovy. The calculated concentration factors (CFs) of 137Cs in anchovy were 10.9–20.2, which are an order of magnitude lower than those in other marine organisms. However, the CFs of 239+240Pu in adult anchovy were 14.0–162.8, which are significantly higher than those in other fishes and comparable (or even higher) to the IAEA recommendation values. The annual effective dose (AED) rates of 137Cs and 239+240Pu for anchovy consumption (per person) in South Korea were estimated to be 3.7 × 10−6–6.9 × 10−6 mSv yr−1 and 0.26 × 10−6–3.10 × 10−6 mSv yr−1, respectively. The AED from anchovy consumption is insignificant relative to that of natural radionuclides.
Highlights
137Cs, an isotope of Caesium (Cs), is produced by gamma (g)-emission from artificial radiation resulting from nuclear weapons tests or nuclear facility accidents (UNSCEAR, 2000). 137Cs can be harmful to humans based on assessments of bodily exposure because it has a relatively long half-life (30.03 yr) and releases very strong gamma rays (662 keV) (Oh and Ryu, 2006)
The higher 137Cs concentration in larger anchovies in this study seems to be related to artificial radioactivity such as 137Cs accumulation in anchovy according to growth stage
The 239þ240Pu activity in anchovy in this study was compared with that of other marine organisms collected in recent years (2015–2017) (Fig. 3b) in the same manner as 137Cs
Summary
It is estimated that 15.2 ± 18.3 PBq 137Cs was introduced into the northern Pacific Ocean and deposited in the atmosphere by the recent Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) accident in 2011 (Aoyama, 2018). This artificial Cs isotope has chemical characteristics similar to potassium (K), a significant nutrient present in nature, in that both Cs and K are alkali elements. Pu is known to affect human liver and bone tissues, potentially causing cancer (Nielsen et al, 2012)
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