The biological effects of radioactive waste

Abstract

The discharge of radioactive waste into the marine environment is, in general, limited by the requirement that the resulting increments of dose to members of the general public are within internationally agreed limits. The implicit assumption is made that when this require­ment is met the fauna and flora of the marine ecosystem, which are generally less radiosensitive than man, are not at risk. The data relating to the effects of both acute and chronic irradiation on marine species are reviewed and the dose rates which can occur in contaminated environments due to the recon­centration of activity, either by the animals themselves or by some component of their habitat, e. g. silt, are indicated. From this it is possible to predict that present waste disposal practices are unlikely to have any observable effect in the natural environment. Nevertheless, further research is necessary to find more sensitive indicators of damage at both the individual and population levels.