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NORRUSS-Nordområdene og Russland

EANOR

Awarded: NOK 1.1 mill.

The Fukushima NPP accident raised questions not only about imoacts of radioactivity on human health, but also impacts on wildlife. While it is well established that ionizing radiation and heavy metals can cause damage to plants and animals, little is known about chronic effects on biodiversity at an ecosystem level. The overall aim of the EANOR project is to assess the impacts of chronic exposure to enhanced radioactivity and chemical pollutants by studying the diversity of soil invertebrate populations at a radium contaminated site. Between 1931 and 1956 the Vodny area in the Komi Republic, Russia, was the main site of Soviet radium production. Wastes from the industry caused contamination of the environment, leading to high levels of radionuclides, heavy metals and rare-earth elements in the surroundings. The prolonged exposure of the ecosystem, combined with relatively low human activities, makes the site an excellent field laboratory for investigating the long-term effects of pollution. Joint field expeditions have been carried out at Vodny in 2012 and 2014. Analysis to date have documented the levels of contaminants and plant and soil invertebrate biodiversity. Results indicate differences in biodiversity of invertebrates at the contaminated compared to control sites, as well as possible adaptation of the species. Results are being followed up by state-of-the-art measurements of cellular and molecular endpoints. It is hoped that the data produced will be valuable to international activities looking at the impacts of ionising radiation on non-human species, where there is a widespread recognition of the need for information on chronic exposures and population and ecosystem level effects.

Mining sites and territories contaminated with uranium-radium production wastes tend to have high activity concentrations of both naturally occurring radionuclides (NOR), heavy metals, and rare-earth elements, and constitute a valuable field laboratory wh ere the effects of combined chronic exposures to radionuclides and conventional chemical pollutants on natural plant and soil invertebrate populations can be studied. Studies of such sites have provided evidence that the NOR can be of potential genetic an d ecological importance, but to date there has been no systematic field study investigation study of the impacts of the exposure on an ecosystem level (i.e, looking at impacts at a population and community level). Field work carried out under the EANOR pr oject will assess the ecosystem impacts of chronic exposure of plants and soil invertebrates to enhanced radioactivity and chemical pollutants. Specific research activities include: - Measurement of radionuclide and chemical contaminants in soils, plants and biota at the selected sites, including basic soil chemical characterisation - Assessment of the internal and external doses to biota - Assessment of plant and soil invertebrate population sizes and biodiversity - Analysis of the effects of chronic e xposure using biological endpoints ranging from cellular and molecular (e.g.,aberration, DNA damage, immunohistochemistry, gene expression) to individual and population reproduction effects. The data produced will be valuable to international activities looking at the impacts of ionising radiation on non-human species, where there is a widespread recognition of the need for information on chronic exposures and population and ecosystem level effects (e.g. EU project STAR www.star-radioecology.org). Work w ill contribute to practical regulatory challenges of carrying out risk assessments and environmental impact assessments in NOR areas, which are required as part of the licensing process for waste facililities.

Funding scheme:

NORRUSS-Nordområdene og Russland