Issues and practices in the use of effects data from FREDERICA in the ERICA Integrated Approach

J. Garnier-Laplace (1) , D. Copplestone , R. Gilbin (1) , F. Alonzo (1) , P. Ciffroy (2) , M. Gilek (3) , A. Agüero (4) , M. Björk (5) , D.H. Oughton (6) , A. Jaworska (7) , C.M. Larsson , J.L. Hingston

1 IRSN - Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire
2 EDF R&D LNHE - Laboratoire National d’Hydraulique et Environnement
3 Södertörn University College
4 CIEMAT - Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas
5 Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences [Copenhagen]
6 NMBU - Norwegian University of Life Sciences
7 Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority

The ERICA Integrated Approach requires that a risk assessment screening dose rate is defined for the risk characterisation within Tiers 1 and 2. At Tier 3, no numerical screening dose rate is used, and the risk characterisation is driven by methods that can evaluate the possible effects of ionising radiation on reproduction, mortality and morbidity. Species sensitivity distribution has been used to derive the ERICA risk assessment predicted no-effect dose rate (PNEDR). The method used was based on the mathematical processing of data from FRED (FASSET radiation effects database merged with the EPIC database to form FREDERICA) and resulted in a PNEDR of 10 μGy/h. This rate was assumed to ascribe sufficient protection of all ecosystems from detrimental effects on structure and function under chronic exposure. The value was weighed against a number of points of comparison: (i) PNEDR values obtained by application of the safety factor method, (ii) background levels, (iii) dose rates triggering effects on radioactively contaminated sites and (iv) former guidelines from literature reviews. In Tier 3, the effects analysis must be driven by the problem formulation and is thus highly case specific. Instead of specific recommendations on numeric values, guidance on the sorts of methods that may be applied for refined effect analysis is provided and illustrated. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mots clés: Data handling; Ecosystems; Integrated control; Ionizing radiation; Numerical methods; Radiation effects; Safety factor; Dose rate; Ecological risk assessment; Integrated approach; Mathematical processing; Problem formulation; Radioactive substances; Safety factor methods; Species sensitivity distributions; Risk assessment; background level; dose-response relationship; ecosystem approach; environmental protection; guideline; integrated approach; morbidity; mortality; radiation exposure; risk assessment; article; clinical practice; comparative study; data base; dose response; ecosystem; environment; ionizing radiation; long term exposure; mathematical analysis; medical literature; practice guideline; prediction; protection; radiation response; radioactive contamination; reproduction; risk; safety; screening; species

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

J. Garnier-Laplace, D. Copplestone, R. Gilbin, F. Alonzo, P. Ciffroy, et al.. Issues and practices in the use of effects data from FREDERICA in the ERICA Integrated Approach. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 2008, 99 (9), pp.1474-1483. ⟨10.1016/j.jenvrad.2008.04.012⟩. ⟨hal-03005078⟩