The effect of chronic low-dose environmental radiation on organ mass of bank voles in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

6533b7d6fe1ef96bd1265e68

RESEARCH PRODUCT

The effect of chronic low-dose environmental radiation on organ mass of bank voles in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Kati Kivisaari Jenni Kesäniemi Anton Lavrinienko Zbyszek Boratyński Philipp Lehmann Tapio Mappes

subject

Male Time Factors metsämyyrä health care facilities manpower and services education Radiation Environment 030218 nuclear medicine & medical imaging Ionizing radiation Chernobyl säteilybiologia 03 medical and health sciences sisäelimet 0302 clinical medicine Myodes glareolus Ingestion Animals Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging Exclusion zone radioaktiivinen säteily luonnonvaraiset eläimet health care economics and organizations Radionuclide Radiological and Ultrasound Technology Inhalation radiocesium Arvicolinae ionisoiva säteily fungi Low dose food and beverages Dose-Response Relationship Radiation Organ Size wild populations Soil contamination Chernobyl Nuclear Accident 030220 oncology & carcinogenesis Environmental chemistry internal organs Environmental science Female

description

Purpose: Animals are exposed to environmental ionizing radiation (IR) externally through proximity to contaminated soil and internally through ingestion and inhalation of radionuclides. Internal organs can respond to radioactive contamination through physiological stress. Chronic stress can compromise the size of physiologically active organs, but studies on wild mammal populations are scarce. The effects of environmental IR contamination on organ masses was studied by using a wild rodent inhabiting the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ). Material and Methods: The masses of brain, heart, kidney, spleen, liver and lung were assessed from bank voles (Myodes glareolus) captured from areas across radioactive contamination gradient within the CEZ. Relative organ masses were used to correct for the body mass of an individual. Results: Results showed a significant negative correlation between IR level in the environment and relative brain and kidney mass. A significant positive correlation between IR and relative heart mass was also found. Principal component analysis (PCA) also suggested positive relationship between IR and relative spleen mass, however this relationship was not significant when spleen was analyzed separately. There was no apparent relationship between IR and relative liver or lung mass. Conclusions: Results suggest that in the wild populations even low but chronic doses of IR can lead to changes in relative organ mass. The novelty of these result is showing that exposure to low doses can affect the organ masses in similar fashion as previously shown on high, acute, radiation doses. This data supports the hypothesis that wildlife might be more sensitive to IR than animals used in laboratory studies. However, more research is needed to rule out the other indirect effects such as radiosensitivity of the food sources or possible combined stress effects from e.g. infections. peerReviewed

year	journal	country	edition	language
2020-01-01

http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202010066083