Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry

, Volume 311, Issue 2, pp 1117–1125 | Cite as

Monitoring of caesium-137 in surface seawater and seafood in both the Irish and North Seas: trends and observations

  • Kins Leonard
  • Andras Donaszi-Ivanov
  • Alastair Dewar
  • Victoria Ly
  • Trevor Bailey
Article
First Online:
Received:

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to compile selected caesium-137 concentrations in seafood and seawater (the key OSPAR indicators) from the data submitted by the United Kingdom to the OSPAR Commission. The impact upon the surrounding environment of the Irish Sea and North Sea has been determined from trends of caesium-137 concentration data over time, from the start of the OSPAR evaluation period to the present date. Generally, caesium-137 concentrations, in each of the key OSPAR indicators (by sample type and site locations), have declined in both the Irish and North Sea environments over the long time period.

Keywords

Caesium-137 OSPAR Commission Monitoring Irish Sea North Sea 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Notes

Acknowledgments

The data used in this study was supported by the UK Policy Divisions of the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the environment agencies (and their predecessors) as part of their radiological surveillance programmes. The authors would also like to express their sincere thanks to Mark Pettitt (DECC) for useful comments on the draft manuscript and to our colleagues at Cefas for their contributions to the collection, distribution, preparation and radioanalysis of samples and collation of data. Finally, the authors would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers for improving the manuscript.

References

  1. 1.
    OSPAR (2010) The North-East atlantic environment strategy. Strategy of the OSPAR Commission for the protection of the marine environment of the North-East atlantic 2010–2020. OSPAR Agreement 2010-03. OSPAR, LondonGoogle Scholar
  2. 2.
    OSPAR (1998) SINTRA Statement. Summary record OSPAR 98/14/1, Annex 45. OSPAR, LondonGoogle Scholar
  3. 3.
    Defra, UK (2002) strategy for radioactive discharges 2001–2020. Defra, LondonGoogle Scholar
  4. 4.
    DECC (2009) Summary of responses to the consultation on the draft UK Strategy for radioactive discharges 2006–2030. DECC, LondonGoogle Scholar
  5. 5.
    DECC, Department of the Environment Northern Ireland, the Scottish Government and Welsh Assembly Government (2009) UK Strategy for Radioactive Discharges. DECC, LondonGoogle Scholar
  6. 6.
    IAEA (1985) Behaviour of radionuclides released into coastal waters. TECDOC-329, IAEA, ViennaGoogle Scholar
  7. 7.
    Kershaw PJ, Pentreath RJ, Woodhead DS, Hunt GJ (1992) A review of radioactivity in the Irish Sea. A report prepared for the Marine Pollution Monitoring Management Group. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Aquatic Environment Monitoring Report Number 32, MAFF Directorate of Fisheries Research, Lowestoft, UKGoogle Scholar
  8. 8.
    Osvath I, Povinec PP, Baxter MS, Huynh-Ngoc L (2001) Mapping of the distribution of 137Cs in Irish Sea sediments. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 248:735–739CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. 9.
    McCubbin D, Leonard KS, Brown J, Kershaw PJ, Bonfield RA, Peak T (2002) Further studies of the distribution of technetium-99 and caesium-137 in UK and European coastal waters. Cont Shelf Res 22:1417–1445CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. 10.
    Hunt GJ, Leonard KS, Hughes LM (2013) Artificial radionuclides in the Irish Sea from Sellafield: remobilisation revisited. J Radiol Prot 33:261–279CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  11. 11.
    Povinec PP, Bailly du Bois P, Kershaw PJ, Nies H, Scotto P (2003) Spatial and temporal trends in the distribution of 137Cs in surface waters of northern European Seas: a record of 40 years of investigations. Deep Sea Res Part II 50(17–21):2785–2801CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  12. 12.
    Environment Agency, FSA, FSS, NRW, NIEA, SEPA (2015) Radioactivity in Food and the Environment, 2014. RIFE 20. Environment Agency, FSA, FSS, NRW, NIEA and SEPA, Bristol, London, Aberdeen, Cardiff, Belfast and StirlingGoogle Scholar
  13. 13.
    Mitchell NT (1967) Radioactivity in surface and coastal waters of the British Isles, 1967. Tech Rep, MAFF Direct. Fish Res, Lowestoft, (FRL 1): 1–45Google Scholar
  14. 14.
    Camplin WC, Aarkrog A (1989) Radioactivity in north European waters; Report of working group II of CEC project MARINA. Fish Res Data Rep, MAFF Direct. Fish Res, Lowestoft (20): 1–120Google Scholar
  15. 15.
    Jefferies DF, Preston A, Steele AK (1973) Distribution of caesium-137 in British coastal waters. Mar Pollut Bull 4(8):118–122CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. 16.
    Mackenzie AB, Baxter MS, Mckinley IG, Swan DS, Jack W (1979) The determination of 134Cs, 137Cs, 210Pb, 226Ra and 228Ra concentrations in nearshore marine sediments and seawater. J Radioanal Nucl Chem Artic 48:29–47CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  17. 17.
    Jefferies DF, Steele AK (1989) Observed and predicted concentrations of caesium-137 in seawater of the Irish Sea 1970-1985. J Environ Radioact 10:173–189CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. 18.
    Jefferies DF, Steele AK, Preston A (1982) Further studies on the distribution of 137Cs in British coastal waters—1. Irish Sea. Deep Sea Res 29(6A):713–738CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  19. 19.
    McKay WA, Baxter MS (1985) Water transport from the north-east Irish Sea to western Scottish coastal waters: further observations from time-trend matching of Sellafield radiocaesium. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 21(4):471–480CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  20. 20.
    Nies H (1990) The contamination of the North Sea by artificial radionuclides during the year 1987. J Environ Radioact 11(1):55–70CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. 21.
    Baxter AJ, Camplin WC (1994) The use of caesium-137 to measure dispersion from discharge pipelines at nuclear sites in the UK. Proc Inst Civ Eng Water Marit Energy 106:281–288CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  22. 22.
    Baxter MS, McKinley IG, MacKenzie AB, Jack W (1979) Windscale radiocaesium in the Clyde Sea area. Mar Poll Bull 10:116–120CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  23. 23.
    Mauchline J (1980) In: Banner FT, Collins MB, Massie KS (eds) The North-west European shelf seas: the sea bed and the sea in motion. II. Physical and chemical oceanography and physical resources. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 517–542Google Scholar
  24. 24.
    Bujdosó E (1985) Environmental radiochemistry and radioactivity a current bibliography. J Radioanal Nucl Chem Artic 91:227–249CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  25. 25.
    Dahlgaard H (1995) Transfer of European coastal pollution to the arctic: radioactive tracers. Mar Pollut Bull 31(1–3):3–7CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  26. 26.
    Kershaw PJ, Baxter AJ (1995) The transfer of reprocessing wastes from north-west Europe to the Arctic. Deep Sea Res 42(6):1413–1448CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  27. 27.
    Herrmann J, Kershaw PJ, Bailly du Bois P, Guegueniat P (1995) The distribution of artificial radionuclides in the english channel, southern North Sea, Skagerrak and Kattegat, 1990–1993. J Mar Syst 6(5–6):427–456CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. 28.
    Kershaw PJ, Gurbutt PA, Woodhead DS, Leonard KS, Rees JM (1997) Estimates of fluxes of 137Cs in northern waters from recent measurements. Sci Total Environ 202:211–223CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  29. 29.
    Leonard KS, McCubbin D, McMahon CA, Mitchell PI, Bonfield R (1998) 137Cs/90Sr ratios in the Irish Sea and adjacent waters: a source term for the Arctic. Radiat Prot Dosim 75(1–4):207–212CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  30. 30.
    OSPAR (2009) Towards the radioactive substances strategy objectives. Third periodic evaluation. Radioactive Substances Series. Publication 445/2009Google Scholar
  31. 31.
    Andrews DJ, Sutton GA (1993) An automated NaI “well” counting system for the determination of radiocaesium. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Aquatic Environment Monitoring Report Number 9, MAFF Directorate of Fisheries Research, Lowestoft, UKGoogle Scholar
  32. 32.
    Leonard KS, McCubbin D, McDonald P, Service M, Bonfield R, Conney S (2004) Accumulation of Tc-99 in the Irish Sea? Sci Total Environ 322:255–270CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  33. 33.
    OSPAR (2005) The application of BAT in UK nuclear facilities Report (UK Report on implementation of PARCOM recommendation 91/4 on radioactive discharges). Publication Number: 2005/241Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungary 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  • Kins Leonard
    • 1
  • Andras Donaszi-Ivanov
    • 2
  • Alastair Dewar
    • 1
  • Victoria Ly
    • 1
  • Trevor Bailey
    • 1
  1. 1.Cefas, Lowestoft LaboratoryLowestoftUK
  2. 2.Food Standards AgencyAviation HouseLondonUK

Personalised recommendations