Levels Of Radionuclide Contamination Research Articles

Цитогенетичні дослідження Myodes Glareolus з природних популяцій Чорнобильської зони відчуження у віддалений післяаварійний період

The results of cytogenetic studies of bank voles (Myodes glareolus) carried out during 2009 - 2016 in the areas of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone with different levels of radionuclide contamination are presented. In the remote period after the Chornobyl accident features of chromosomal instability in somatic cells of examined animals, manifested as elevated levels of bone marrow cells with micronuclei, are observed. Probably, they can be caused by transgenerational radiation-induced chromosomal instability and changes in the ecological characteristics of the population under the combined impact of chronic low-intensity radiation and negative environmental factors.

Peculiarities of karyotype of the Ukrainian aboriginal Hutsul breed of horse

Saving biodiversity and assessment of the genetic diversity of local breeds of domestic animals as priority subjects of protection in agrobiocenoses is one of the global challenges facing humanity in the 21st century. Hutsul horse is one of the oldest horse breeds in Ukraine, which according to the gene pool subject of horses in Ukraine belongs to the group “Local (mountain and ponies)” of the I category, which is already on the verge of extinction, and according to the FAO classification it is considered to be a subject of the gene pool threatened with extinction. Since the breeding chromosomal polymorphism of horses is insufficiently studied, it is timely to carry out a cytogenetic analysis of the characteristics of spontaneous mutagenesis in Hutsul horses. Karyotypic variability of Hutsul breed horses was determined using the methods of cytogenetic analysis and micronucleus test. The paper presents the results of cytogenetic analysis and micronucleus test of karyotypic variability of Hutsul breed horses. Asynchronous divergence of centromere regions of chromosomes occurs as a result of premature replication of centromere regions of heterochromatin associated with centromere activity. In the studied Hutsul horses, the magnitude of this variability corresponds to the spontaneous level for horses as a whole (2.2-9.1 %). No structural chromosomal abnormalities (chromosomal breaks) were revealed in Hutsul breed horses at Krai Neba LLC, and in the animals of the Hutsulshchina National Nature Park, the percentage of metaphase plates with chromosomal breaks was low (1.1 %), which indicates the stability of the karyotype of the studied animals. The results of the micronucleus test showed that the proportion of lymphocytes with micronuclei in the animals at the both farms was practically the same - 4.0-4.2. It can be concluded based on the data obtained that the animals under study were in ecologically clean conditions relative to the level of radionuclide contamination and were characterized by karyotype stability and reduced sensitivity to mutagenic factors of various nature.

Applying the Anna Karenina principle for wild animal gut microbiota: Temporal stability of the bank vole gut microbiota in a disturbed environment.

Gut microbiota play an important role in host health. Yet, the drivers and patterns of microbiota imbalance (dysbiosis) in wild animals remain largely unexplored. One hypothesised outcome of stress on animal microbiomes is a destabilised microbial community that is characterised by an increase in inter-individual differences compared with microbiomes of healthy animals, which are expected to be (a) temporally stable and (b) relatively similar among individuals. This set of predictions for response of microbiomes to stressors is known as the Anna Karenina principle (AKP) for animal microbiomes. We examine the AKP in a wild mammal inhabiting disturbed environments by conducting a capture-mark-recapture survey of bank voles Myodes glareolus in areas that contrast in levels of radionuclide contamination (Chernobyl, Ukraine). Counter to key predictions of the AKP, bank voles that are not exposed to radionuclides harbour variable (increased inter-individual differences) and temporally dynamic gut microbiota communities, presumably tracking the natural spatio-temporal variation in resources. Conversely, bank voles exposed to radionuclides host more similar gut microbiota communities that are temporally stable, potentially due to a dysbiosis or selection (on host or bacteria) imposed by chronic radiation exposure. The implication of these data is that environmental stress (radiation exposure) can constrain the natural spatial and temporal variation of wild animal gut microbiota.

HIGH PURE SUBSTANCES FOR ASTROPHYSICAL RESEARCH

The features of the application of high-purity substances for studying rare nuclear events in astrophysics, in particular double beta decay, are considered. It was noted that for such studies, the special underground laboratories are needed to eliminate the cosmic radiation background, and the use of high-purity materials for possibility to record rare nuclear events. The content of neutral impurity elements should not exceed 0.1 ppm, and the level of radionuclide contamination should be less than units mBq/kg. At the NSC KIPT, the technologies have been developed for the production of high-purity refractory (W, Mo, Re, Ru, Os) and low-melting metals (Zn, Cd, Te, archPb), including isotopically-enriched 106Cd, 116Cd, satisfying these requirements. Using these metals both as individual elements and as part of low-background scintillation single crystals, it was possible to obtain a number of new fundamental results in the field of astrophysics, together with the Institute for Nuclear Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and the Gran Sasso Laboratory of the National Institute of Physics (Italy)

Late Biochemical and Cytogenetic Changes in Plasma and Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes in People Exposed to Low-dose Radiation as a Result of the Accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant

A study was conducted to evaluate the biochemical and cytogenetic parameters in peripheral blood lymphocytes in participants in the Chernobyl accident liquidation who were exposed to external and internal radiation in the dose range (0.1–70 cSv) and children living in territories with different levels of radionuclide contamination (1–20 Ci/km2) as a result of the Chernobyl accident. The effects of low-intensity radiation were studied in a comparative analysis of the relationship between the chromatid break index, the rate of mutagenesis in somatic cells (lymphocytes), and the level of reduced glutathione in blood plasma. The increased frequency of chromatid breaks in lymphocytes and an increased level of reduced glutathione in the blood plasma in children and liquidators exposed to low doses of radiation (0.1–20 cSv) were found to be statistically significant compared to the control. As the radiation dose increased (20–70 cSv), the increase in cytogenetic abnormalities in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of liquidators and children from Chechersk (Gomelsk oblast, Belarus) was accompanied by a decrease in the water-soluble antioxidant level in the plasma. The data on the relationship of the reduced glutathione level with the major indices of the cytogenetic status are important for identification of later pathological health-related conditions in people exposed to chronic ionizing radiation.

АНОМАЛІЇ СКЕЛЕТА РИБ У ВОДОЙМАХ ІЗ РІЗНИМ РІВНЕМ ЗАБРУДНЕННЯ РАДІОНУКЛІДАМИ

The development features of morphological anomalies of the sunbleak (Leucaspius delineates Heckel) skeleton in water bodies, characterized by background (neighbourhood of Kyiv City) and high (Chornobyl exclusion zone) levels of radionuclide contamination were studied. The impact of radionuclide contamination on the appearance of morphological skeletal anomalies of fish was established. The level of radiation background of the natural environment is constantly increasing due to the continuous flow of radioactive substances into the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The causes of the significant deterioration of the existing state are the emergencies at the nuclear fuel cycle enterprises, related to the radionuclide emissions, among which the Chornobyl NPP accident is the most massive catastrophe in the history of nuclear energy, both in terms of the amount of radioactive substances that have been released into the environment and the area of territories that have been contaminated. Despite the fact that part of the radionuclides has decayed more than three decades after the accident, other long-lived substances remain sources of additional ionizing radiation in the environment. This necessitates the study and evaluation of all processes related to radioactive contamination. One of the important tasks of radioecology is to study the characteristics of the receipt, migration and accumulation of radioactive substances by components of aquatic biogeocenosa and their impact on the biota. The radionuclides released into aquatic ecosystems migrate and are most effectively accumulated by the upper trophic levels to which the fish belongs, serving as an important object of radioecological monitoring. The relevance of this study is to detect the influence of radionuclide contamination on the appearance of morphological skeletal anomalies in the fish species typical for the reservoirs of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, which is a representative exemplar of fresh aquatic ecosystems, taking into account the peculiarities of its way of existence. The novelty of the work is determined by the fact that for the mentioned reservoirs the relevant study was conducted for the first time.

Cytogenetic activity of radionuclide contamination of water reservoirs of the alienation zone of Chornobyl NPP

Thirty years after the accident, the alienation zone of Chornobyl NPP continues to be an open source of radionuclide spread which is carried with superficial and soil waters into river systems and moves beyond the area. The study of mutagenic activity of radionuclide contamination of the water reservoirs in the near zone of Chornobyl NNP will make it possible to predict genetic consequences of their effect in the years after the accident. The purpose of this research is to study frequency and spectrum of chromosome aberrations in root meristem cells of Triticum aestivum L. under the prolonged effect of radionuclide contamination of water and bottom deposits of the water reservoirs in the near alienation zone of Chornobyl NPP. Seeds of winter wheat varieties Al’batros odes’kyi and Zymoiarka were sprouted in the conditions of the effect of water radionuclide contamination of the Prypiat River, Brahinka River, a reservoir-cooler of ChNPP, Semyhodskyi backwater, drainage-way 3 of ChNPP, Lakes Hlyboke and Azbuchyn (total specific activity of 137Cs and 90Sr – 0.17–52.99 Bq/м3) and bottom deposits of the left and right banks of Prypiat canal, a reservoir-cooler of ChNPP, drainage-ways 1–3 of ChNPP (total specific activity of 137Cs and 90Sr – 16.0–45.0 Bq/kg). Frequency and spectrum of cytogenetic disorders were identified in the cells of root meristem sprouts with help of the ana-telophase method. Under the influence of radiation on water and bottom deposits of the water reservoirs in the alienation zone of ChNPP, a 1.6–4.2 times increase in the frequency of chromosome aberrations and mitosis disorders was found. The highest levels of cytogenetic activity were shown by water radionuclide contamination in a reservoir-cooler of ChNPP, Semyhodskyi backwater and bottom deposits of drainage-way 2. The correlation between frequency of chromosome aberrations and specific value of radionuclide activity of water reservoirs has not been recorded, which can prove the induction of cytogenetic disorders resulting from the radiation in the low-rate range. The spectrum of cytogenetic disorder types is mostly represented by acentric fragments, bridges and lagging chromosomes. The induction of the cells with lagging chromosomes, which exhibit the highest levels (0.24–0.38%), under the effect of radionuclide contamination of water in Hlyboke Lake, the Brahinka River, the Prypiat River, a reservoir-cooler of ChNPP and bottom deposits of drainage-way 3, allows one to assume the availability of aneugenic factors in the water reservoirs in the alienation zone of ChNPP. The water entities of the alienation zone of ChNPP, the level of radionuclide contamination of which is characterized by a high cytogenetic activity, induce cells with complex chromosome rearrangements of high frequency. Despite the decrease in chromosome aberration frequency effected by the water of the Prypiat River near Chornobyl city, the Brahinka River and bottom deposits of the right bank of Prypiat canal, the increased level of aneugenic cells and the induction of multiple chromosome rearrangements confirm the persistence of mutagenic activity in the abovementioned contaminated water entities.

SEVERAL ASPECTS OF DESCRIPTIVE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF HEMATOLOGICAL MALIGNANCIES IN ADULT POPULATION OF UKRAINE, BELARUS AND RUSSIAN FEDERATION AFTER CHORNOBYL ACCIDENT

Chornobyl impact on the health of adult population in Ukraine, Belarus and Russian Federation was a subject of several studies. However, the studies of the effects of Chornobyl on leukemia in adult populations in post-Soviet countries are scarce and the results are contradictory up to present. The results of the epidemiological studies of the oncohematological consequences of Chornobyl accident are briefly reviewed with particular focus on pre-Chornobyl and post-Chornobyl trends in leukemia incidence in Ukraine, Belarus and Russian Federation as well as in small territories of these countries with various levels of radionuclide contamination. This article is a part of a Special Issue entitled "The Chornobyl Nuclear Accident: Thirty Years After".

Hacker science versus closed science: building environmental monitoring infrastructure

The Fukushima Daiichi accident in March 2011 created a need by both public agencies and citizens for data on the levels of radionuclide contamination across Japan. In response to this need two systems emerged to collect radiation data using mobile sensors and publish it on the internet: KURAMA, developed by Kyoto University, and Safecast, developed by an ad hoc group of volunteers with their roots in the hacker community. Where KURAMA followed a conventional closed innovation model, Safecast used open-source components to generate freely available open data within an open community of heterogeneous expertise. By drawing on the epistemic foundations of the open source and hacker movements, Safecast developed the artefacts of the sensor network and the procedures for producing reliable and accepted measurements. Both approaches resulted in the rapid development of systems able to build radiation maps, but the open Safecast community was able to build their system at lower cost by enrolling volunteers, gaining crowdsourced donations, creating a global forum to discuss methods and using open-source components. The commitment to open data led Safecast to avoid interpreting the data that they collected which in turn reduced the risk of them being seen as an anti-nuclear activist organization. Safecast's model of creating an open global community has been seen to work in Japan and both the widely disseminated lessons learned and the open-source components developed will provide a template for citizen-led responses to future environmental incidents elsewhere in the world.

ВПЛИВ ХРОНІЧНОГО ІОНІЗУЮЧОГО ОПРОМІНЕННЯ НА ПРОРОСТАННЯ ТА СХОЖІСТЬ НАСІНИН ОЧЕРЕТУ ЗВИЧАЙНОГО

Досліджено біологічні характеристики насіння очерету звичайного в умовах хронічної діїіонізуючого опромінення. Виявлено дозові залежності показників життєздатності тачастоти аномалій паростків у водоймах із різним рівнем радіонуклідного забруднення.Встановлено високий відсоток аномалій та зниження показників життєздатності насіннєвогопотомства очерету у найбільш забрудненими радіонуклідами водоймах.Results of the common reed’s seeds biological characteristics research in long-term radiationexposure conditions are represented. Dose relationships between liability indexes andabnormalities frequency of germs in water bodies with different levels of radionuclidecontamination are indicated. High abnormalities percent and reduced liability indexes of commonreed’s seed progeny in the most radionuclide contaminatied water are defined.Исследованы биологические характеристики семян тростника обыкновенного в условияххронического воздействия ионизирующего облучения. Определены дозовые зависимостипоказателей жизнеспособности и частоты аномалий проростков в водоемах с разнымуровнем радионуклидного загрязнения. Установлены высокий процент аномалий и снижениепоказателей жизнеспособности семенного потомства тростника внаиболее загрязненныхрадионуклидами водоймах.

Predicting the effects of ionising radiation on ecosystems by a generic model based on the Lotka–Volterra equations

The present work describes a model for predicting the population dynamics of the main components (resources and consumers) of terrestrial ecosystems exposed to ionising radiation. The ecosystem is modelled by the Lotka–Volterra equations with consumer competition. Linear dose–response relationships without threshold are assumed to relate the values of the model parameters to the dose rates. The model accounts for the migration of consumers from areas characterised by different levels of radionuclide contamination. The criteria to select the model parameter values are motivated by accounting for the results of the empirical studies of past decades. Examples of predictions for long-term chronic exposure are reported and discussed.

Recent Levels of Radionuclide Contamination in the Eastern Ural Radioactive Trace and Biological Effects in Local Populations of Plantago major L.

The results of the study have shown that the stocks of 90Sr and 137Cs in the frontal part of the EURT are 6700–15000 and 200–400 kBq/m2, respectively. The coefficients of their accumulation in different herbaceous plant species in this impact zone are lower than in other areas. The accumulative capability of plants has probably decreased in the course of selection as an adaptation to the effect of radiation. The viability and growth parameters of Plantago major L. seeds from the EURT zone are similar to those of seeds from the background sample. Cenopopulations chronically exposed to radiation are characterized by a higher mutation rate in the progeny and an unstable response to additional acute irradiation in most characters studied. A high level of inbreeding is observed in all P. major cenopopulations of plantain. The cenopopulation of the impact zone is characterized by a lower variation of allozyme loci, which may be a result of stringent selection for individuals better adapted to the complex of conditions existing in its habitat.

Radionuclide contamination of the LIRA faciliticies territory

Radiation situation at the LIRA site has been investigated. It served as a test site for 6 underground nuclear explosions. In comparison with background in the region the explosions caused a slight increase of the level of radionuclide contamination in the territory of the site. It was found that the release of 137Xe and 90Kr onto the surface is the main reason for formation of additional contamination with 137Cs and 90Sr. The peculiarities of the distribution and migration of the radionuclides in dependence on the relief and soil conditions are taken into consideration.

Birds as objects in bioindication of radioactive pollution

This article is a review the recent results of research in the accumulation of natural and artificial radionuclides in birds from Russia (Adigea, Krasnodar, Rostov, Astrahan and Moscow regions, Novaya Zemlya isles), Ukraine, Vietnam, Poland, Ethiophia and Mongolia after global precipitation and local pollution, such as in the East-Urals radioactive region and radioactive zones after the Chernobyl accident. Resident birds reflect local level of radionuclide contamination. The 90Sr concentration in the food of the Pied Flycatcher had a tendency to increase in dependent of age. The Common Jay and the Mallard were the most contaminated with 137Cs in the Bryansk region. The total content of various radio-isotopes of plutonium in bird bones from Southwest Russia were hundred and thousand times more, than in Mongolia. Activity levels in specimens from Ethiopia bear record to Ethiopia can notbe a "pure" control site in radioecological research and radioactive background since it does not significantly differ from Turkmenia and Mongolia.