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The dose to Irish seafood consumers from Technetium-99

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2009

J. Barescut ,
V. Smith ,
M. Fegan ,
J. Wong  and
S. Long
V. Smith
Affiliation:
Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, 3 Clonskeagh Square, Clonskeagh Road, Dublin 14, Ireland
M. Fegan
Affiliation:
Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, 3 Clonskeagh Square, Clonskeagh Road, Dublin 14, Ireland
J. Wong
Affiliation:
Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, 3 Clonskeagh Square, Clonskeagh Road, Dublin 14, Ireland
S. Long
Affiliation:
Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, 3 Clonskeagh Square, Clonskeagh Road, Dublin 14, Ireland
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Abstract

In this study, the effects of 99Tc discharges from Sellafield to the Irish Sea on activity concentrations in fish and shellfish landed at ports on the north-east coast of Ireland and the resultant committed effective doses to typical and heavy consumers of seafood since 1990 are presented. Technetium-99 activity concentrations in fish and shellfish from the Irish Sea increased in the mid-1990s in line with increased discharges from Sellafield. In 2003, 99Tc discharges were reduced and have now returned to the levels of the early 1990s. Although there has been a reduction in 99Tc activity concentrations in fish and shellfish landed at ports on the north-east coast of Ireland, the dose to Irish seafood consumers has not returned to the baseline levels of the early 1990s, being greater by a factor of two. In 2006, 99Tc accounted for approximately 15% of the total dose (0.16 and 0.75 µSv for typical and heavy consumers, respectively) to Irish seafood consumers from all artificial sources of radioactivity in the Irish Sea.

Type
Research Article
Information
Radioprotection , Volume 44 , Issue 5: ECORAD 2008 - Radioecology and Environmental Radioactivity , 2009 , pp. 425 - 429
Copyright
© EDP Sciences, 2009

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References

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