Transfer parameters for ICRP reference animals and plants collected from a forest ecosystem

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Radiological Protection
• Ecology

Background:

• The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) recommends establishing reference sites for systematic sample collection.
• Terrestrial, marine, and freshwater ecosystems require baseline data for radiological assessments.
• Managed forestry plantations represent important terrestrial environments for such studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct the first systematic field study for Reference Animals and Plants (RAPs) collection.
• To analyze elemental and radionuclide concentrations in terrestrial RAPs and soil.
• To derive and validate transfer parameters (CR(wo-soil)) for ecological risk assessment.

Main Methods:

• Sampling of six terrestrial RAPs (grass, pine, deer, rat, earthworm, bee) and associated soil from a coniferous forest in England.
• Analysis of 60 elements and gamma-emitting radionuclides in collected samples.
• Calculation of soil-to-organism concentration ratios (CR(wo-soil)) for derived transfer parameters.

Main Results:

• Successful collection and analysis of six terrestrial RAPs and soil samples.
• Determination of element and radionuclide concentrations in various species and soil.
• Derivation of novel CR(wo-soil) values for several RAP-element combinations, presenting the first reported transfer parameters for these.

Conclusions:

• The study establishes a foundational dataset for radiological protection in managed forestry ecosystems.
• Derived CR(wo-soil) values provide essential data for refining ecological models and risk assessments.
• Comparison with ICRP recommendations highlights the need for site-specific data and potential adjustments to existing parameters.