Concentration ratios of U and Ra for insects and amphibians living in the vicinity of the closed uranium mine at Ningyo-toge, Japan

迫田 晃弘; 村上 翔一*; 石森 有; 寳來 佐和子*

Journal of Radiation Research (Internet), 61(2), p.207 - 213, 2020/03

https://doi.org/10.1093/jrr/rrz096

There is still a scarcity of data on the transfer of naturally occurring radionuclides to wildlife in various ecosystems. In the present study, concentration ratios (CR) of U and Ra were obtained for grasshoppers, frogs and newts in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. Soil, water and animal samples were collected for two years in the vicinity of the closed uranium mine at Ningyo-toge, Japan. Three sites with different U and Ra levels were of interest: (a) Pond and its shore (PO); (b) Low level stream and its shore near overburden dump (OD); (c) Uranium mill tailings pond and its shore (MP). The activity concentrations in both soil and water were PO OD MP for U, and PO OD MP for Ra. Regarding the wildlife, U was able to be determined for all samples, but the detection of Ra was observed only for a part of samples (not detected for grasshoppers at all). The means and standard deviations of CR or CR were then calculated and may indicate the insignificant dependence of CR on environmental conditions characterized by the tested sites. The present data on CR were compared to the corresponding data or surrogate data from the IAEA's database, showing both agreement and discrepancy. Our data would contribute to enhancing the available data for those radionuclides and animals. In particular, the transfer to amphibians, which are one of main links in common food webs, is reported here for the first time.