Activity Levels of 210Po, 210Pb and Other Radionuclides (134Cs, 137Cs, 90Sr, 110mAg, 238U, 226Ra and 40K) in Marine Organisms From Coastal Waters Adjacent to Fuqing and Ningde Nuclear Power Plants (China) and Radiation Dose Assessment

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

With the rapid development of nuclear power, the radiation impacts on edible marine organisms, and the potential radiation risks to humans have become of considerable concern to public health. In this study, the activities of 210 Po and 210 Pb as well as those of other radionuclides in fishes ( Mugil cephalus, Konosirus punctatus, Largehead hairtail , and Larimichthys polyactis ), crustaceans ( Mantis shrimp, Parapenaeopsis hardwickii , and Portunus trituberculatus ), bivalves ( Crassostrea gigas, Sinonovacula conzcta ), and macroalgae ( Gracilaria, Porphyra ) collected in the coastal area adjacent to the Fuqing and Ningde nuclear power plants (NPPs) were determined. The activity range of 210 Po and 210 Pb was 0.60–48.09 and 0.07–2.76 Bq/kg freshweight , respectively, with 210 Po/ 210 Pb activity ratios of 1.1–189.7. The ranking of 210 Po activity levels in marine organisms was bivalve mollusks > crustaceans > fishes > macroalgae. The calculated bioconcentration factors of 210 Po and 210 Pb were 636–44,944 and 3–1,226 L/kg, respectively. These values provide a new supplement to the IAEA reference database. The radiation dose rates for these marine organisms ranged from 0.037 to 1.531 μSv/h, which was much lower than the ERICA ecosystem screening benchmark of 10 μGy/h. The calculated committed effective dose received by humans from ingestion of these marine organisms was 0.06–2.99 mSv. Overall, 210 Po was the dominant radiation dose contributor in marine organisms and humans, whereas the dose contributions from the artificial nuclides 90 Sr and 137 Cs were negligible.