Dose rate assessment of 137Cs to mussels and pelagic fish from the combined use of field measurements, satellite data and the ERICA Assessment Tool

Abstract

Cesium-137 (137Cs) is the most important indicator of radioactive pollution in the marine environment due to its half-life (Tph: 30.2 years), its high fission yield, its solubility (70% in ionic form) and its bioavailability (similar to potassium). Soluble radionuclides, like 137Cs, in the seawater are associated with physicogeochemical and biological parameters of the marine environment (e.g. temperature, water density, biota exchange processes, water mass translocation etc.). Considering this characteristic, we investigate the potential relation between 137Cs activity concentration and sea surface temperature (SST). The parameter of SST is selected, as the element of cesium in the seawater is conservative and its horizontal and vertical dispersion depends on the water mass translocation and water currents. Water mass translocation and water currents are processes that are both governed by the SST. SST also influences the uptake of 137Cs in some marine organisms as it makes it more bioavailable and affects the biological retention time and the elimination rate. The study area is the Gulf of Corinth (Greece). Cs-137 in the Gulf of Corinth originates from water runnoff from the land (Chernobyl fallout from 1986) and a small influence exists from the Ionian and Aegean Sea water currents. A total of 17 measurements spanning 2004-2005, of 137Cs activity concentrations were retrieved from the Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory (ERL) database of NCSR “D”. Furthermore, SST measurements issued from NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Databases of 137Cs activity concentrations and SST are used for regression analysis and definition of a linear model. The estimated 137Cs activity concentrations obtained by the model are then compared with the newest measured values obtained by seawater samples from September and November 2018 (a total of 8 seawater samples). Estimated concentrations present a relative difference of about 9% to the measured values. In order to conduct the risk assessment analysis in the studied area, the dose rates are calculated for marine organisms. The selected marine organisms are mussels and pelagic fish that are abundant in the area and have significant commercial value, with mussels also being an important bioindicator of marine pollution. The total dose rates in these organisms (resulting by both the internal and external exposure) vary from 3.30 × 101 to 5.40 × 101 μGy/year for the mussels and from 2.97 × 10-1 to 4.86 × 10-1 μGy/year for pelagic fish, which are much lower that the intervention levels, indicating low impact due to the 137Cs exposure.