Radiation Risk Estimates in Normal and Emergency Situations

Abstract

The rate of chromosome aberrations in cells of freshwater snail ( Lymnaea stagnalis L.) embryos and in the apical meristem of roots of common reed ( Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex. Steud.) and arrowhead ( Sagittaria saggitifolia L.) from reservoirs within the Chernobyl exclusion zone have been analyzed. The absorbed dose rate for hydrobionts living within the littoral zone of water bodies, due to external irradiation and radionuclides incorporated in tissue was in the range from 0.0018 to 3.4 Gy /year. The highest value was measured for hydrobionts from lakes within the dammed territory on the left-bank flood plain of the Pripyat River. The lowest doses were measured for specimens from the water courses. The hydrobionts from the heavily contaminated lakes are characterized by the maximal rate of chromosome aberration – about 20– 25%. The chromosome aberration rate of hydrobionts from conditionally clear was on average 1.5%, and the maximal rate does not exceed 2.5%.