Assessment of exposure to ionizing radiation in Chernobyl tree frogs (Hyla orientalis)

Burraco, P., Car, C., Bonzom, J.-M. and Orizaola, G. (2021) Assessment of exposure to ionizing radiation in Chernobyl tree frogs (Hyla orientalis). Scientific Reports, 11, 20509. (doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-00125-9) (PMID:34654841) (PMCID:PMC8519934)

Abstract

Ionizing radiation can damage organic molecules, causing detrimental effects on human and wildlife health. The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (1986) represents the largest release of radioactive material to the environment. An accurate estimation of the current exposure to radiation in wildlife, often reduced to ambient dose rate assessments, is crucial to understand the long-term impact of radiation on living organisms. Here, we present an evaluation of the sources and variation of current exposure to radiation in breeding Eastern tree frogs (Hyla orientalis) males living in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Total absorbed dose rates in H. orientalis were highly variable, although generally below widely used thresholds considered harmful for animal health. Internal exposure was the main source of absorbed dose rate (81% on average), with 90Sr being the main contributor (78% of total dose rate, on average). These results highlight the importance of assessing both internal and external exposure levels in order to perform a robust evaluation of the exposure to radiation in wildlife. Further studies incorporating life-history, ecological, and evolutionary traits are needed to fully evaluate the effects that these exposure levels can have in amphibians and other taxa inhabiting radio-contaminated environments.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was supported by the Swedish Radiation Protection Agency-SSM (SSM2018-2038), the FP7-EURATOM COordination and iMplementation of a pan-European instrumenT for radioecology-COMET project (EU- 604974), and by Carl Tryggers Foundation (CT 16:344). Carl Tryggers Foundation scholarship (CT 16:344) and Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellowship (METAGE-797879) supported PB, an IRSN doctoral fellowship supported CC, the Institute for Radioecological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) supported JMB, and the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (Ramón y Cajal program, RYC-2016-20656) supported GO.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Burraco, Dr Pablo
• Authors: Burraco, P., Car, C., Bonzom, J.-M., and Orizaola, G.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
• Journal Name: Scientific Reports
• Publisher: Nature Research
• ISSN: 2045-2322
• ISSN (Online): 2045-2322
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Scientific Reports 11: 20509
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
301816		Metamorphosis as a re-set mechanism of the ageing clock: is early-life stress bypassed by morphogenesis?	Patricia Monaghan	European Commission (EC)	797897	Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine