Observation of morphological abnormalities in silkworm pupae after feeding CsCl-supplemented diet to evaluate the effects of low dose-rate exposure

Tanaka, Sota; Kinouchi, Tadatoshi*; Fujii, Tsuguru*; Imanaka, Tetsuji*; Takahashi, Tomoyuki*; Fukutani, Satoshi*; Maki, Daisuke*; Notomi, Akihiro*; Takahashi, Sentaro*

Since the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident, morphological abnormalities of the lepidopteran insects have been reported. However, it is unclear whether the abnormalities were caused directly by radiation because they did not study on absorbed dose and dose-effect relationship. In this study, we conducted an internal exposure experiment on silkworm using CsCl-supplemented artificial diet and estimated the absorbed dose to evaluate the morphological abnormalities in silkworm. The ratio of wing to whole body of pupae was compared between the CsCl-exposured and control groups and no significant differences were observed between the groups. This result suggest that morphological abnormalities in lepidopterans are unlikely due to direct radiation effects from Cs contamination after the FDNPP accident.