The MARINA II study provides information on
radioactive discharges to the North East Atlantic, on radionuclide
concentrations in various marine environmental media and an assessment of
their impact on humans and marine biota.
Compared to the mid 60’s, by the end of the
1990s, the overall civil nuclear and other anthropogenic inputs of
radioactivity into the North East Atlantic have decreased by several orders of
magnitude for alpha- and beta-emitters and for tritium. The maximum levels
were reached in the 1960s and early 1970s. Over the same time period this
resulted in reductions in radionuclide concentrations in the marine
environment and consequently in reductions in the individual doses to members
of critical groups and in collective doses to the public.
Since the mid-1980s, the main contribution to
discharges of beta-activity into the OSPAR region is from nuclear reprocessing
plants (Sellafield and Cap de la Hague) while the discharges of alpha-activity
have been dominated by the phosphate industry and by oil and gas production in
the North Sea. As a result of the activities discharged and the higher
biological effectiveness of alpha radiation, phosphate and oil production
currently are the major contributors to collective dose to the population of
the European Union from industrial activities. Other sources (e.g. production
and application of radiopharmaceuticals, discharges from shipyards servicing
nuclear submarines in the UK, historic dumping of wastes at sea and accidental
releases other than Chernobyl) are comparably negligible.
Over the period 1988 to 1999 effective doses to
critical groups in the Sellafield area show no downward trends partly due to
the impact of remobilisation of plutonium isotopes from historic discharges,
which are contained in the sediments of the Irish Sea, leading to relatively
stable plutonium concentrations in sea water and thus in seafood. In addition,
since 1994 the treatment of historic liquid wastes led to increased discharges
of technetium-99, adding to the exposure. For the Cap de la Hague area there
is a decreasing trend in effective doses since 1988. For the OSPAR region in
general the doses to critical groups follow the same decreasing trend as the
environmental radionuclide concentrations.
Doses to non-human biota due to industrial
activities are low (order of magnitude of natural background level). Based on
today’s knowledge detrimental effects to populations of marine biota are not
expected.
The text of the Executive Summary (330 KB)
Annex A: Civil Nuclear Discharges into North European Waters (890 KB)
Annex B: Environmental Data (4 MB)
Annex C: Analysis of Data on Seafood Catches and Trade
(340 KB)
Annex D: Radiological Impact on EU Member States of
Radioactivity in North European Waters (1,4 MB)
Annex E: Critical Group Exposure (150 KB)
Annex F: Assessment of the Impact of Radioactive Substances
on Marine Biota of North European Waters (310 KB)
The printed version of RP 132 consists of two Volumes.
Volume I contains the Executive Summary and the Annexes A and B, Volume II
contains the Annexes C to F. It can be ordered from the radiation protection
unit.
