A new biokinetic model for iodine in dairy cows was developed utilizing data from a 4 × 4 factorial feeding experiment with rumen-cannulated cows that were fed rapeseed cake containing substances known to influence iodine metabolism, and soybean meal without such effects. I was administered both intravenously and intra-ruminally to document metabolism pathways. The new model included compartments such as saliva and thyroid gland, often ignored in other models, and in contrast to previously available biokinetic models, it fitted well to our experimental data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe present work documents potassium ferric hexacyanoferrate (KFCF) KFe[Fe(CN)] containing feed to be an effective and inexpensive countermeasure to reduce the Cs contamination of fish. Laboratory aquarium experiments were performed to investigate the effect of feed containing potassium ferric hexacyanoferrate on Cs uptake and excretion by silver Prussian carp (Carassius gibelio (Bloch, 1782)). After the 120-day period of Cs uptake with feed, reaching equilibrium Cs level in fish, fish in some aquariums received feeds containing either 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMethods for determining the radiation dose received by exposed biota require major improvements to reduce uncertainties and increase precision. We share our experiences in attempting to quantify external dose rates to free-ranging wildlife using GPS-coupled dosimetry methods. The manuscript is a primer on fundamental concepts in wildlife dosimetry in which the complexities of quantifying dose rates are highlighted, and lessons learned are presented based on research with wild boar and snakes at Fukushima, wolves at Chornobyl, and reindeer in Norway.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhen environmental impact and risks associated with radioactive contamination of ecosystems are assessed, the source term and deposition must be linked to ecosystem transfer, biological uptake and effects in exposed organisms. Thus, a well-defined source term is the starting point for transport, dose, impact and risk models. After the Chornobyl accident, 3-4 tons of spent nuclear fuel were released and radioactive particles were important ingrediencies of the actual source term.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNorway's Centre of Excellence for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD) research programme included studies on transfer of radionuclides in various ecosystems within the context of environmental risk assessment. This article provides highlights from 10 years of research within this topic and summarises lessons learnt from the process. The scope has been extensive, involving laboratory-based experiments, field studies and the implementation of transfer models quantifying radionuclide uptake directly from the surrounding environment and via food chains.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo follow up field observations in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone (ChEZ), a series of controlled model aquarium experiments were conducted to determine the uptake and depuration rates of Cs and Sr in silver Prussian carp (Carassius gibelio) in fresh water, varying in temperature from 5 to 27 °C, with daily feeding rates of 0-1.5 % fish weight day. In the present study, the Cs uptake rates in muscle tissues directly from water, 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnique data is reported on the transfer of I iodine from freshwaters to fish as well as the internal distribution within fish from the Fukushima and Chernobyl exclusion zones (ChEZ). Samples of water, sediments and fish were collected in the contaminated ponds Inkyozaka and Suzuuchi, and in the less contaminated Abukuma river in Fukushima, as well as in the contaminated Glubokoye lake and in the less contaminated Starukha lake in ChEZ. In water, I was mainly present as low molecular mass (LMM) and negatively charged species, while a minor fraction was associated with colloidal fraction, most probably organic material in water.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFConstruction and mining activities in acid-producing alum shale regions often produce large volumes of crushed rock. Disposal under groundwater level (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA combination of synchrotron-based elemental analysis and acute toxicity tests was used to investigate the biodistribution and adverse effects in exposed to uranium nanoparticle (UNP, 3-5 nm) suspensions or to uranium reference (U) solutions. Speciation analysis revealed similar size distributions between exposures, and toxicity tests showed comparable acute effects (UNP LC: 402 μg L [336-484], U LC: 268 μg L [229-315]). However, the uranium body burden was 3- to 5-fold greater in UNP-exposed daphnids, and analysis of survival as a function of body burden revealed a ∼5-fold higher specific toxicity from the U exposure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhile adverse biological effects of acute high-dose ionizing radiation have been extensively investigated, knowledge on chronic low-dose effects is scarce. The aims of the present study were to identify hazards of low-dose ionizing radiation to using multiomics dose-response modeling and to demonstrate the use of omics data to support an adverse outcome pathway (AOP) network development for ionizing radiation. Neonatal were exposed to γ radiation for 8 days.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicro- and nanoscopic X-ray techniques were used to investigate the relationship between uranium (U) tissue distributions and adverse effects to the digestive tract of aquatic model organism following uranium nanoparticle (UNP) exposure. X-ray absorption computed tomography measurements of intact daphnids exposed to sublethal concentrations of UNPs or a U reference solution (U) showed adverse morphological changes to the midgut and the hepatic ceca. Histological analyses of exposed organisms revealed a high proportion of abnormal and irregularly shaped intestinal epithelial cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFConditions associated with selenium (Se) and/or vitamin E (VitE) deficiency are still being reported in high-yielding pigs fed the recommended amounts. Here, the dietary effects of Se source (sodium selenite, NaSe, 0.40 or 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlubokoye Lake situated within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is highly contaminated with respect to radioactive caesium and strontium isotopes, which also is reflected in the contaminated fish. To utilize the fish resources in contaminated lakes, the present work presents for the first time the effectiveness of using clean feed to counteract contamination of radionuclides in fish. The study is based on a series of repeated experiments with Prussian carp (Carassius gibelio (Bloch, 1782)) kept in cages in the contaminated Glubokoye Lake during summer 2018-2021.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe present work focuses on total concentrations of trace elements such as chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), selenium (Se), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) and their operationally defined speciation in surface sediments from three Ethiopian Rift Valley Lakes (Hawassa, Koka, and Ziway). Total concentrations were determined using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). A six-step sequential extraction was also applied to evaluate the mobilization potential of these elements.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFElevated levels of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation may co-occur and pose cumulative hazards to biota. However, the combined effects and underlying toxicity mechanisms of different types of radiation in aquatic plants remain poorly understood. The present study aims to demonstrate how different combined toxicity prediction approaches can collectively characterise how chronic (7 days) exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation (0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA series of I tracer experiments have been conducted at two research stations in Norway, one coastal and one inland to study radioiodine transfer and dynamics in boreal, agricultural ecosystems. The hypothesis tested was that site specific and climatological factors, along with growth stage, would influence foliar uptake of I by grass and its subsequent loss. Results showed that the interception fraction varied widely, ranging from 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAtmospheric dispersion models are crucial for nuclear risk assessment and emergency response systems since they rapidly predict air concentrations and deposition of released radionuclides, providing a basis for dose estimations and countermeasure strategies. Atmospheric dispersion models are associated with relatively large and often unknown uncertainties that are mostly attributed to meteorology, source terms and parametrisation of the dispersion model. By developing methods that can provide reliable uncertainty ranges for model outputs, decision makers have an improved basis for handling nuclear emergency situations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe ALLIANCE Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) for radioecology is a living document that defines a long-term vision (20 years) of the needs for, and implementation of, research in radioecology in Europe. The initial SRA, published in 2012, included consultation with a wide range of stakeholders (Hinton et al., 2013).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe objective of the present work was to obtain scientific information on the ecological health of three freshwater lakes (Awassa, Koka, and Ziway) situated in the Ethiopian Rift Valley by investigating possible trace element contamination accumulated in fish. Accordingly, fish liver and kidney samples were collected from three commercially important fish species (Barbus intermedius, Clarias gariepinus, and Oreochromis niloticus) in the lakes to determine the concentrations of chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), selenium (Se), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb), using ICP-MS. Trace element concentrations were generally higher in O.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe importance of incorporating kinetic approaches in order to gain information on underlying physiological processes explaining species sensitivity to environmental stressors has been highlighted in recent years. Uranium is present in the aquatic environment worldwide due to naturally occurring and anthropogenic sources, posing a potential risk to freshwater taxa in contaminated areas. Although literature shows that organisms vary widely with respect to susceptibility to U, information on toxicokinetics that may explain the variation in toxicodynamic responses is scarce.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGamma radiation produces DNA instability and impaired phenotype. Previously, we observed negative effects on phenotype, DNA methylation, and gene expression profiles, in offspring of zebrafish exposed to gamma radiation during gametogenesis. We hypothesize that previously observed effects are accompanied with changes in the expression profile of non-coding RNAs, inherited by next generations.
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