Radionuclide Studies and Information
Radionuclide Testing of subsistence-harvested Arctic Marine Mammals
1990’s: Samples were collected from Inuit subsistence hunters in Alaska and Nunavat, Canada, and radionuclides were analyzed in about 200 individual marine mammals, including beluga, narwhal, bowhead whale, walrus, polar bear, bearded seal, ringed seal, and spotted seal. Radionuclide levels observed ranged from undetectable to very low (several orders of magnitude below levels that would be of public health concern). Future monitoring of radionuclides is suggested; however, these results do not provide any evidence of current health hazards from radionuclides in marine mammals used for human consumption in coastal regions of Arctic Alaska and Canada.
Publications:
- O’Hara, T.M. et al. 1999. Radionuclide levels in caribou of northern Alaska in 1995-96. Arctic 52(3):279-268.
- Cooper, L.W. et al. 2000. Radionuclide contaminant burdens in Arctic marine mammals harvested during subsistence hunting. Arctic 53(2):174-182.
Current Testing
For more information, contact Raphaela Stimmelmayr.
Publications:
2011 Fukushima fallout: Aerial deposition on the sea ice scenario and wildlife health implications
The testing for radioactivity as a causal factor in the 2011 Seal and Walrus UME was in response to hunters’ concerns about the Fukushima incident after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The results of this study indicate that there is no indication of radionuclide contamination in seals in the Bering and Chukchi Seas at this time. The DWM continues to monitor for radionuclides in all subsistence species.
This poster was presented at the 2014 Alaska Marine Science Symposium by Doug Dasher et al. The testing for radioactivity as a causal factor in the 2011 UME was in response to hunters’ concerns about the Fukushima incident after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The results of this study indicate that there is no indication of radionuclide contamination in seals in the Bering and Chukchi Seas at this time. For more information on radionuclide testing and radiation click here.
Publications:
- Dasher, D., et al. 2014. 2011 Fukushima fallout: Aerial deposition on the sea ice scenario and wildlife health implications to ice-associated seals. Poster presented at the Alaska Marine Science Symposium, Anchorage, Alaska, January 2014.
- Stocki, T.J., et al. 2016. Measurements of cesium in Arctic beluga and caribou before and after the Fukushima accident of 2011. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 162-163:379-387. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2016.05.023.
Information about Radiation and Wild Foods Safety in Alaska
Due to the nuclear accident in northeast Japan caused by the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami, the State of Alaska has posted some information addressing the public’s concerns about radiation reaching Alaska. This information will be updated as new information becomes available. See the following documents online or upload them directly from the State of Alaska website.
- Information about Radiation and Wild Foods Safety in Alaska (April 27, 2011).
- Information about Potential Radiation in Alaska’s Wild Birds – The Alaska Migratory Bird Co-Management Council’s website provides this information.
Project Chariot Radionuclide Studies
- U.S.Department of Energy, Nevada Field Office, Environmental Restoration Division. 1993. A review of the “Project Chariot: 1962 Tracer Study Remedial Action Plan.” Review conducted by the North Slope Borough Science Advisory Committee for the North Slope Borough, Barrow, Alaska.
- ADEC. 1993. Report on Project Chariot Removal and Assessment Actions in August 1993. Report to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Northern Regional Office.
- U.S.Department of Energy, Nevada Field Office, Environmental Restoration Division. 1994. Project Chariot site assessment and remedial action final report. Report to the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
- Franke, B. 1996. An estimation of the level of radiation exposure and an assessment of the risks to the health of the people of Point Hope, Alaska, as a result of Project Chariot activities. Proposal review submitted to the North Slope Borough, Barrow, Alaska.
