Dose rate estimation of freshwater wildlife inhabiting irrigation ponds in the exclusion zone of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

Abstract

To assess the risks of ionising radiation to freshwater environments in the exclusion zone of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, the absorbed dose rates to aquatic organisms possibly inhabiting the irrigation ponds were estimated using the ERICA Assessment Tool from 134Cs and 137Cs radioactivity monitoring data for the period 2013 to 2017. In each year, the total dose rates to benthic organisms were in the same or higher levels compared with those to pelagic organisms. Among pelagic organisms, the total dose rates to amphibians, birds, and pelagic fish were two orders of magnitude higher than those to plankton. The total dose rates to insect larvae, which attained a maximum of 130 μGy h−1, were higher than those to the other benthic organisms. The dose rates to benthic organisms increased from 2013 to 2015 and remained constant thereafter. In 50–93% of ponds, the dose rates to at least one taxon of freshwater organism, all of which were benthic organisms, exceeded the ERICA screening level (10 μGy h−1). Comparison of the estimated dose rates with the ICRP's derived consideration reference levels (DCRLs) suggests that radioactive contamination was not likely to damage amphibians, birds, pelagic fish, benthic fish, crustaceans, and insect larvae inhabiting most of the irrigation ponds in the exclusion zone. However, this comparison also suggests that there was some chance of deleterious effects occurring to birds and benthic fish in a limited number of the most severely contaminated irrigation ponds.