Hostname: page-component-6898cfcb55-w5hgh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-11-11T21:12:37.927Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

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
Get access

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.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Harvey, B.R., Ibbett, K.D., Williams, J.K. and Lovett, M.B. The determination of technetium-99 in environmental materials. Aquatic Environment Protection: Analytical Methods No. 8. (Directorate of Fisheries Research, Lowestoft, 1991).
Smith, V., Fegan, M., Pollard, D., Long, S., Hayden, E. and Ryan, T.P. Technetium-99 in the Irish marine environment. J. Environ. Radioactivity 56 (2001) pp. 269–284.
Smith, V., Dowdall, A., Fegan, M., Hayden, E., Kelleher, K., Long, S., McEvoy, I., Somerville, S., Wong, J. and Pollard, D. Radioactivity monitoring of the Irish environment 2006. RPII-07/03. (Dublin: Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland 2007).
ICRP. Age-dependent doses to members of the public from intake of radionuclides: Part 5. Compilation of ingestion and inhalation dose coefficients. Annals of the ICRP, vol.26, ICRP publication 72. (Oxford: Pergamon Press 1996).
RIFE. Radioactivity in Food and the Environment, 2006. Environment Agency, Environment and Heritage Service, Food Standards Agency, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, RIFE-12, UK (2007).
McCubbin, D., Leonard, K.S., McDonald, P., Bonfield, R. and Boust, D. Distribution of technetium-99 in sub-tidal sediments of the Irish Sea. Continental Shelf Research 26, (2006) pp. 458–473.