[ n e w s l e t t e r ] Number 43September 2005

NEWS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF RADIOECOLOGY

Message from theGeneral Secretary

News from thePresident

News from theSecretariat

Scientific News

Announcements

Book Reviews

WWW.IUR-UIR.ORG

Editor:Per StrandNRPAP.O. Box 551332 Østerås, Norway

per.strand@nrpa.no

Message from the General Secretary

One positive side effect of the Chernobyl accident has been to promote astrong stimulation of the radioecological studies and research, a scientificarea which therefore took some advantage from abundant and somehoweasier funding through the various international agencies and institutionsinvolved, especially the European Commission. Without doubt, this boosthas allowed in-depth understanding of radioctivity transport and impact onhuman health based on advanced descriptions of radionuclides transferthrough the environment to the human target.

Quite naturally, this boost effect proved to be temporary and started tovanish out some years ago, with tougher competition for appropriation ofinternational funding, and the concomitant dis-aggregation of non-criticalmass research groups, a feature which led some observers to question thefuture of Radioecology, either as a scientific discipline (its «last gasp») or asa unique expertise to parallel atomic energy activities. Meanwhile, avigorous political debate has evolved almost worldwide questioning thepublic acceptance and usefulness of considering further atomic energydevelopments to face the growing planetary energetic needs. This debatehas first led some countries to promote the abandon of nuclear energytechnology, especially in Europe, due to emphasis placed on its danger.However, concerns over requirements for sustainable development, andgreater awareness of climatic disruption promoted by fossil fuel burning, arenow leading other countries to plan, sometimes to engage on (Finland,China, …), further developments in nuclear energy production. This is noteven mentioning the economic trends that currently affect the fuel barrelcost…This particular context fully demonstrates the pertinence of Radioecology inthe near future, as well as indicates the evolution necessary to meet its newchallenges. The mastering of risks to humans needs to be extended in two

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main directions. First, radioactive wastes are stillaccumulating without a proven acceptabletechnical solution, and better assessments aretherefore needed in the long to very long term.This puts emphasis on aspects such as chronicexposures, dynamic environmental repartition,long-term environmental speciation and potentiallocal accumulations, etc… Second, whilsttransfers through the environment to man havenow reached an advanced level of understanding,potential radioactivity effects on ecologicalsystems, from non-human biota to habitats,landscapes and ecosystems, deserve especialattention. This ability to appropriately assessecological risk linked to radioactive substances isa prerequisite to future acceptance of furtherdevelopments in nuclear energy technology aswell as an anticipated obligation to meet legalrequirements that are currently evolving.

The signs of IUR commitments in such a multi-facet evolution are now becoming visible from avariety of last years initiatives that have beenundertaken: the creation of the Asian branch ofIUR and its pending Task Group on the«Radioecology of rice», a food source formillions of human beings; the progress of aseveral years reflection on radioactive waste witha Final Report production from its dedicatedTask Group expected soon; the contribution ofIUR to international agencies initiatives wherepolicies are directed and future programmesseeded (update of TRS-364 and Action Plan forprotection of the environment with the IAEA,invited observer at UNSCEAR sessions, supportto ICRP); efforts to design a WorldwideInternational Research Network in Radioecology,particularly encompassing issues of protection ofthe environment and multi-pollution aspects;significant efforts to share and spread scientificachievements with co-organising the recentEcorad Conference (Aix-en-Provence) and nextInternational Conference on Radioactivity in theenvironment, including Arctic and Antarcticregions (Nice); creation of the «IURVernadsky Award» to recognise outstandingcontributions to the field of Radioecology;and many others not mentioned here.

Thanks to many of you taking various active roleswithin the Union, it is clear that the worldwiderecognition and audience of IUR is growing. I amencouraging even more commitments, at least torespond up to an appropriate level to therenewed influx of new young members who arejoining, month after month from many differentparts of the world, with expectations andexcitement.

François Bréchignac General Secretary

News from the President

The Second International Conference onRadioactivity in the Environment &the Sixth International Conference onEnvironmental Radioactivity in the Arcticand the Antarctic.

The major IUR event this year will be theconference held at the NICE-ACROPOLISCONGRESS CENTER between 2-6 October2005. It will be arranged by the InternationalUnion of Radioecology (IUR) and NorwegianRadiation Protection Authority (NRPA), inassociation with the Journal of EnvironmentalRadioactivity (JER) and Institut deradioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire (IRSN),and in co-operation with the International AtomicEnergy Agency (IAEA).Other sponsors are U.S. Department of Energy(DOE), Russian Federal Service ofHydrometeorology and EnvironmentalMonitoring (ROSHYDROMET), and ArcticMonitoring Assessment Programme (AMAP).This conference is an amalgamation of twoconference series, namely the InternationalConference on Environmental Radioactivity (lasttime held in Monaco 2002), and the InternationalConference on Environmental Radioactivity in theArctic and the Antarctic (last time held in St.Petersburg 2002). In view of the overlappingresearch areas and requirement for goodcommunication within the discipline of

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radioecology, it seemed natural to combine thesetwo conferences.In line with IUR’s objectives the conference willcover all the scientific aspects of environmentalradioactivity, from its use to trace and time naturalprocesses, to the radiological assessment ofhuman health and effects on the environment,including remediation of contaminated sites. It isnow almost 20 years since the Chernobylaccident, and the environmental consequencesdue to this incident will be highlighted in aseparate session.The discipline of radioecology is clearly stillstrong and thriving as close to 300 participantsfrom about 45 countries or internationalorganisations from all continents have currentlyregistered for this IUR event. The broad interestshown for the conference and its interdiciplinarycharacter will make this a truly international event.In keeping with the first conference onEnvironmental radioactivity, a Younginvestigators’ award will be distributed toencourage a new generation of highly adeptscientists. The response has been good with ahigh quality of submitted material rendering theselection process very competitive. It isencouraging to see that young scientists areengaged and embarked on new careersinvestigating the behaviour and fate ofradioactivity in the environment.The event will provide a broad scientific view ofradioecology, with the Conference onenvironmental radioactivity in the Arctic andAntarctic as a separate parallell session onWednesday the 5th. The sessions are:

• The Second International Conference onRadioactivity in the Environment

o The Chernobyl Accident - 20Years after

o (Technologically Enhanced)Naturally Occurring RadioactiveMaterials

o Protection of the Environmento Monitoring and Measuremento Emergency Preparedness -

Models and Systems

o Risk Assessment andManagement

o Environmental Transport andTransfer

• 6th International Conference onEnvironmental Radioactivity in the Arcticand Antarctic

After the ordinary programme on Wednesday (4/10), the IUR general assembly will take place.During this assembly the first IUR Vernadskyaward will be granted.

Prior to the conference (30/9-2/10) the IURTask group “Speciation of radionuclides”, MarineEnvironment Laboratory of the InternationalAtomic Energy Agency (IAEA-MEL) andNorwegian University of Life Sciences isorganising the Third Pre-Conference Workshopon Anvanced techniques and radionuclidespeciation within radioecology. The workshopwill be held at the offices of the MarineEnvironment Laboratory International AtomicEnergy Agency (IAEA-MEL) in Monaco. (Moreinfo is given on http://www.iur-uir.org/conferences.cgi?id=25&page=1&theme=).

For further details please visit http://www.iur-uir.org/news.cgi?id=54 or contact the conferencesecretary Torun Jølle (torun.jolle@nrpa.no),NRPA, P.O. Box 55, N-1332 Østerås, Norway.

Per Strand President

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Membership CIS, China Central Europe (only Other countriesgrade Cuba non-European Community

and non-CIS countries)

USD USD Euro USD

Student 7 10 20 20Regular 14 20 50 50

Senior 21 30 70 70Fellow 21 30 70 70

Emeritus 7 10 20 20Honorary 0 0 0 0

Supporting org >140 >200 >400 >400

Fees 2005

Most members have been contacted about pay-ment of the fees for 2005. If you have not paid,please could you do so, preferably by providingthe treasurer with credit card details. If you wantto arrange other methods of payment please con-tact the membershipsecretary: Torun Jøllee-mail: torun.jolle@nrpa.nofax no. +47 67147407

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IUR GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2005

UNION INTERNATIONALE DE RADIOECOLOGIEINTERNATIONAL UNION OF RADIOECOLOGY

XXVIII General AssemblyNice, France,5 October 2005

AGENDA

1. IUR management updates2. V.I. Vernadsky Award2. Status of IUR activities and report by the President3. Financial report and budget4. Outline of the programme for 20065. Any other business

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New members (From August 2004)

DEJANIRA DA COSTA, Lauria BrasilDIAS, Victor FranceDOI, Masahiro JapanEAST, James USAGILHEN,Michael J. UKGWYNN,Justin NorwayHOU, Xiaolin DenmarkKUMAR, Prabhat IndiaLACIOK, Ales Czech RepublicLAGAUZERE, Sandra FranceLEE, Sang-Han KoreaNEWMAN, Richard T. South AfricaPANOV, Alexey RussiaRIGOL, Anna SpainSEKOKO, Israel South AfricaTAGAMI, Keiko JapanVARGA, Ester YugoslaviaVASSEUR, Christophe FranceWHICKER, Jeffrey J. USAWOOD, Michael UKZOTINA, Tatiana A. Russia

Obituaries

Dr. Nikolay P. Arkhipov died on 8th December2004, one week before his 72nd birthday. As aradioecologist his career spanned research on theaftermaths of both the 1957 Kyshtym and 1986Chernobyl accidents.

After graduating the Timiryazev Moscowagricultural academy Nikolay began his longscientific career in North Kazakhstan in 1954. In1960, his 44 year long association withradioecology began when he move to the (thensecret) Experimental Scientific and ResearchStation (ESRS) at the Chemical IndustrialComplex ‘Mayak’ (South Urals). At the sametime he became a post-graduate student of thefounding Soviet radioecologist AcademicianVsevolod M. Klechkovsky. His subsequent PhD.thesis was based on his research, conductedbetween 1960 and 1963, on the Eastern-Uralradioactive trace from the Kyshtym accident.This led to the «Klechkovsky index» beingproposed as a method of describing the ratio ofSr to Ca in soil-plant systems.

From 1963 to 1986 Nikolay Arkhipov was thehead of ESRS’s agrochemical laboratory. Duringthis time the ESRS was a leading organisationwithin Soviet radioecology, and a ‘nursery’ forprofessional specialists. His research whilst atMayak also included the consequences of nuclearweapons tests, the development of agriculturalcountermeasures, the transfer of radionuclides indifferent climatic zones and the potentialapplication of nuclear industry by-products inagriculture. In this environment Nikolay Arkhipovwas shaped both as a scientist and as apersonality. Amongst his many friends andcolleagues were many well know radioecologistsand radiobiologists such as: Arkadiy Yegorov,Evgeniy Fyodorov, Rudolph Alexakhin, FyodorTikhomirov, Dmitriy Osanov, Nikolay Korneev,Boris Prister, Vladimir Shevchenko. The specialenvironment of this small Urals town reflected inhis family life. His wife of more than 40 years,Edith Arkhipova, was also a scientist (aradiobiologist). Nikolay and Edith also raised anew generation of scientists, Andrey their son isalso a radioecologist, and Valentina their daughteris starting her career in biotechnology.

Early in May 1986 Nikolay Arkhipov led a groupof ESRS scientists to Chernobyl for the USSRGovernment Commission. Under tryingconditions, leading by his knowledge, experienceand scientific intuition, he began to investigate the

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situation in the Chernobyl area. He participated inthe assessment of the radiological situation,developed proposals for its improvement, andtested new countermeasures, techniques fordecontamination, and restoration of affected soils.His group’s results were used by the State in theformulation of decisions on the post-accidentmanagement of the Chernobyl zone. NikolayArkhipov was rewarded with many Governmentawards for his work in the Chernobyl zonebetween 1986 and 1987. As a scientist he wouldnot be compromised, and drawing upon hisknowledge and experience, he ensured that manyexpensive and unjustified measures were stopped(e.g. the burial of ‘Red Forest’ trees).

In the years following the Chernobyl accidentNikolay created the Department of Radiologyand Land Recovery (subsequently the ChernobylScientific and Technical Centre) originally basedin Pripyat with additional laboratories inChernobyl town. Despite an increasingadministrative and managerial load, he did notcease his research work, collaborating withscientists from many organisations in the formerSoviet Union and world-wide. Research includedthe distribution and migration of radionuclideswithin the varied ecosystems of the Chernobylexclusion zone, the effects of radiation on biotawithin the zone, and measures to rehabilitate thezone with the development of some economicalactivity. In 1994 Nikolay Arkhipov defended asecond doctoral thesis on the ‘Role of natural andanthropogenic factors in behaviour ofradionuclides in different soil-vegetation zones’.Nikolay Arkhipov was a full member ofInternational Union of Radioecology, an expertcontributor to activities of the IAEA, and one ofthe founders and trustees of Nuclear Society ofUkraine. He had a large authority and was amentor to many.

Memories of Nikolay will live forever in thehearts of his friends, colleagues and scientificprogeny.

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Intergovernmental Panel onClimate Change (IPCC) & ArcticClimate Impact Assessment(ACIA)

Mark Dowdall, NRPA, Norway

Two recent comprehensive scientific assessments,conducted by the Intergovernmental Panel onClimate Change (IPCC) and the Arctic ClimateImpact Assessment (ACIA), have appraised andpresented the situation regarding the changingArctic climate and the actual and probableimpacts on the Arctic regions. Both assessmentsleave little room for doubt that Arctic climatechange is occurring, at a pace faster thanpreviously thought and that it will have extensive,significant and long lasting impacts on the region,its environment and its peoples. The nature of theArctic enironment and the climatic changespredicted for it mean that almost all facets ofArctic environmental science will be impacted tosome extent, not excluding those of mostpertinence to Artcic radioecology.

The Arctic has often been characterised as aregion of heightened vulnerability in relation toradioactive contamination due to two factors: thepresence of a large number of actual or potentialsources of radioactive contaminants within theregion and aspects of the Arctic environment thatpredispose its populations and biota toheightened vulnerability to radioactivecontaminants relative to temperate regions. Thesituation regarding the Arctic and the effects ofArctic climate change as presented by both theIPCC and ACIA assessments is of somesignificance in relation to both these factors. Thestability, security and level of risk associated withexisting or future nuclear facilities in the Arctic arevulnerable to the changes that will be imposed bya warming Arctic climate such as permafrost melt,severe coastal erosion and an increase in theseverity and frequency of storm events within theArctic region. The ACIA report specificallyhighlights the Kola peninsula as an area likely toundergo significant infrastructural damage as aresult of changes in ground stability and coastal

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erosion and it would seem prudent that theassessment of the risk of future contaminationfrom facilities located on the Kola peninsulawould take into account the predictions of therelevant climate assessments.The processes and systems that govern ourunderstanding of how and why Arctic peoples aremore vulnerable to radioactive contamination andhow we ensure satisfactory radioprotection arelargely Arctic specific processes that are amongthose most likley to change signficantly under newclimatic regimes. The implications of Arcticclimate change on the radioecology andradioprotection of the Arctic region have not yetperhaps received the attention necessary to fullyelucidate the effects of Arctic climate change onthese two scientific fields. An AMAP report onthe effects of climate change on the transport ofradioactive contaminants to the Arctic regionconcluded that there would be no major changesin transport pathways for such contaminants tothe Arctic but the effect of Arctic climate changeon the behaviour and fate of radioactivecontaminants within the Arctic region was outsidethe scope of the report. It is worth notinghowever that the authors point out that warmingof the Arctic region may result in significantelevation of the dose received by Arctic peoplesfrom radon daughter isotopes. Considering thatthis dose change may occur to a large populationalready undergoing multiple and diverse stressesas a result of Arctic climate change would seemto present significant new challenges for Arcticradioecology and radioprotection.

Recent years have seen significant developmentsin the fields of Arctic radioecology andradioprotection and this perhaps leaves the fieldswell placed to take on the potential challengesposed by the effects of Arctic climate change onArctic radioecology and radioprotection.

International Scientific Workshop«Radioecology of ChernobylZone»

September 13 - 14, 2004, Slavutych,Ukraine

Traditional International Scientific Workshop«Radioecology of Chornobyl Zone» was heldon September 13 - 14, 2004 in the town ofSlavutych, Ukraine. The Workshop wasorganized by the International RadioecologyLaboratory of Chornobyl Center for NuclearSafety, Radioactive Waste and Radioecologywith the support of IAEA, InternationalUnion of Radioecology and US DOE. 72persons attended the Workshop. 59presentations were submitted by the scientistsand experts, presenting research, research-and-production and other institutions fromUkraine (Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Japan).32 presentations were submitted as oralmessages (plenary and rapporteur), theremaining part as poster ones. The Workshopwas organized as consecutive meetings of3 Sessions: i) «Radiobiological Effects inEnvironment Components. RadioecologicalSignificance of Exclusion Zone Facilities»;ii) »Distribution and Migration ofRadionuclides in Environment Components»;iii) »Rehabilitation of ContaminatedTerritories. Methods and Instrumentation forRadioecological Research».

The subject of large interest and muchdiscussion was the presentation of R.Alexakhin «Anthropocentric and EcocentricPrinciples of Environmental Protection»,containing a new relevant conceptual rule ofradiation protection of humans and theenvironment.

At the meeting of the Session«Radiobiological Effects in EnvironmentComponents. Radioecological Significance ofExclusion Zone Facilities» much interest inthe participants of Workshop was aroused bythe fundamental presentations of scientists

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from the Russian Institute of AgriculturalRadiology and Agroecology (Obninsk, Russia):«Resistance of Forest Biogeocenosis to IonizingRadiation Effects and Their PostradiationalChanges After Acute Radiation Exposure» (Dr S.Spiridonov), «Exposure of Agricultural Plants andAnimals to Radiation Within Contaminated AreasAfter the Chornobyl Accident» (Dr Ye. Spirin)and «Early and Long-term Effects of Exposure toLow Levels of Ionizing Radiation on Plants» (DrS. Geras’kin).

Interesting results of research into existingand potential effects of the Exclusion ZoneFacilities (Object Shelter, New SafetyConfinement, Storage Facility for SpentNuclear Fuel etc.) on the Environment ofExclusion zone were presented by Dr V. Batiiwith co-authors from Institute for NuclearPower Plants Safety Problems, (Chornobyl,Ukraine). Very important data about formationand characteristics of radioactive aerosolsboth into Object «Shelter» and in releasesfrom this one were presented by Dr B.Ogorodnikov (Physical-Chemical Institutenamed after Karpov, Moscow) with co-authors from Institute for Nuclear PowerPlants Safety Problems, (Chornobyl, Ukraine.

A brisk discussion developed afterpresentation of Prof. V. Shestopalov with co-authors «Seismological Hazards of NewSafety Confinement» (Institute of GeologicalSciences, Ukraine).

A thematic spectrum of presentations, submittedat the Session «Distribution and Migration ofRadionuclides in Environment Components», wasrather wide: the outcomes of analysis ofequilibrium of radiocesium with related stableelements within the biological cycle ofcontaminated forests (Dr S. Yoshida -NationalInstitute of Radiological Sciences, Japan with co-authors from Gakushuin University, Japan, ICFConsulting, USA and Forest Institute, Belarus),problems of radioecology of birds in theExclusion zone (Dr S. Gaschak, InternationalRadioecology Laboratory, Chornobyl Center,Slavutych, Ukraine), estimation of the role of

radionuclides immobilization and vertical transferin soil on long-term dynamics of 137Cs and 90Srtransfer to plants (Dr Yu. Ivanov, InternationalRadioecology Laboratory, Chornobyl Center,Slavutych, Ukraine), radionuclides resuspensionand transfer during fires in biocoenoses of theChornobyl zone (Dr V. Ioschenko with co-authors, Ukrainian Institute of AgriculturalRadiology). Results of forecast of radionuclidesmigration from ChNPP and Object «Shelter»operation site into groundwater (Prof. V.Shestopalov with co-authors from Institute ofGeological Sciences and Institute for NuclearPower Plants Safety Problems, Ukraine), resultsof model predictions and field observations of90Sr transport in the aquifer from the waste burialat «Red Forest» site (Dr D. Bugai, Institute ofGeological Sciences, Ukraine with co-authorsfrom Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiologyand IRSN, France) and others.

The outcomes of research on the rehabilitation ofthe contaminated territories were discussed at themeeting of the Session «Rehabilitation ofContaminated Territories. Methods andInstrumentation for RadioecologicalResearch.».

First results of the International project on thecontaminated territories were reported in thepresentation «Chornobyl Forum – Strategy toPlan Countermeasures in Contaminated Areas»,submitted by Dr V. Kashparov with co-authorsfrom IAEA, Ministry of Emergencies of Ukraine,Scientific Center of Radiation Medicine, Ukraineand GSF, Germany. Methodological Aspects ofPlanning of Agriculture Rehabilitation Measures inLong-Term Period after the ChNPP accident (DrA. Panov with co-authors, Russian Institute ofAgricultural Radiology and Agroecology, Russia),problems of assessment of irradiation doses topersonnel and general public duringrehabilitation of Exclusion zone (Dr O.Bondarenko with co-authors from Ecocentreand Administration of the Exclusion zone andthe zone of absolute resettlement, Chernobyl,Ukraine) and problems of rehabilitation ofcontaminated forest lands (Dr I. Bulavik with co-

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author, Institute of Radiology, Belarus) have beenconsidered and discussed at this Sessuon.Large interest was aroused by the informationabout new methods and instrumentation forradioecological research, including methods andinstrumentation for radwaste measurements, fordetermination of radionuclides specific activity inenvironment objects, foodstuff and water, personexposure spectrometer for monitoring ofradionuclides specific activity in human organismetc., presented in rapporteur presentation of V.Babenko (Research and Industrial Enterprise«AtomComplexPrylad» Ltd, Ukraine).

A lot of scientific information on radiobiologicaland radioecological problems of the ChernobylExclusion zone was presented in posterpresentations. Next traditional InternationalScientific Workshop «Radioecology ofChornobyl Zone» will be held in 2006.

Yu. Ivanov,International Radioecology Laboratory,Chornobyl Center for Nuclear Safety,Radioactive Waste and Radioecology,Slavutych,Ukraine.

XXXIII Klechkovsky annualradioecological readings

The XXXIII annual radioecological readings wereheld in Obninsk, October 21, 2004, and werededicated to the memory of V.M. Klechkovsky(1900-1972), one of the founders of agriculturalradiology. The subject of the Readings wasProtection of the environment from ionizingradiation and problem of the rehabilitation ofcontaminated agricultural land». The Readingswere attended by 70 specialists from Russia andCIS countries. The International Union ofRadioecology was one of the co-organizers of themeeting.

R.M. Alexakhin in his report On principles ofradiation protection of the environmentconsidered evolution of scientific ideas and theirpractical implementation in the field of radiationprotection of humans and the environment.

The second half of the XX century wasdominated in the field of radiation protection ofthe environment by the anthropocentric conceptformulated by the ICRP. According to thisconcept «…if man is protected by radiationstandards then the environment is also adequatelyprotected». At the end of the XX century inconditions of increasing technogenesis and,consequently, increasing ionizing radiationbackground in the area of radiation protection anecocentric strategy is beginning to emerge whereaccents are shifted towards protection of biota intheir environments. In brief «healthy man needshealthy environment».

When considering anthropo- and ecocentricconcepts of radiation protection, it is advisable tocompare and then harmonize permissible doselimits for man and biota in a single system of dosecoordinates, which is made difficult by the choiceof criteria for estimating radiation induced changesin biota. At the present stage of nuclear powerengineering development, the efforts ofradioecologists dealing with problems ofenvironmental protection from ionizing radiationand medical workers evolved in problems ofradiation protection of humans must be directed

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Uranium and phosphorusuptake from a field-contaminated soil by bald rootmutant and wild type barleyplants (Hordeum vulgare L.) inassociation with arbuscularmycorrhizal fungus Glomuscaledonium

Baodong Chena, Yong-Guan Zhua, *, XuhongZhanga and Iver Jakobsenb

aDepartment of Soil Environmental Science/State Key Laboratory of EnvironmentalChemistry and Ecotoxicology, ResearchCenter for Eco-environmental Sciences,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100085, ChinabBiosystems Department, Risø NationalLaboratory, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark*Corresponding Author (E-mail:ygzhu@mail.rcees.ac.cn; Tel/Fax: 86 1062936940)

Abstract

Background. Recent studies indicated thatarbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) playimportant roles in plant accumulation ofuranium (U) from contaminatedenvironments, but the impacts of fertilizationpractices on functioning of the symbioticassociations, which are crucial factorsinfluencing plant nutrition and growthresponses to mycorrhiza, have rarely beenconsidered.

Materials and Methods. In a greenhouseexperiment, a bald root barley mutant (brb)together with the wild type (wt) were used totest the role of root hairs and AMF in uranium(U) uptake by host plant from a Ucontaminated soil. Nil, 20 and 60 mgKH2PO4-P kg–1 soil were included toinvestigate the influences of phosphorus (P)fertilization on plant growth and accumulationof U.

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to the elaboration of a synthetic position thatensures simultaneous protection of man and allother living things.A.V. Panov gave a report Methodologicalaspects of planning of rehabilitation measures inagriculture in the long term after the Chernobylaccident. The report dealt with the methods foroptimization of strategy of protective andrehabilitative measures based on: 1) - differentialapproach to different groups of the population(address approach), 2) - ecologo-economicjustification and 3) - control of the effectivenessof measures based on the radiation monitoringdata.

The population living in the contaminated areas isdivided into two categories: the population thatconsumes products obtained in the region of theirresidence and the population that consumesproducts imported from the contaminatedregions. As the main criterion to assess theeffectiveness of countermeasures for the firstcohort of the population, reduction in theindividual dose is considered. For the secondcohort it is reduction in the collective dose fromconsumption of contaminated products. Amongthe major factors responsible for internal doseformation are contamination levels for agriculturallands and products, soil properties, peculiaritiesof previously applied countermeasures andcontribution of forest products to the diet of thepopulation.

The results of the Readings have shown that inthe XXI century preservation of theenvironmental quality that provides sustainabledevelopment of the community remains one of themajor challenges in the present world.

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Results. Dry matter yield of barley plantsincreased with increasing P additions and wtproduced significantly higher dry weight thanbrb. Mycorrhiza markedly improved drymatter yield of both genotypes grown at nil Pwhereas only brb responded positively tomycorrhiza at 20 mg P kg-1. At the highest Plevel, mycorrhiza resulted in growthdepressions in both genotypes. Plant Pconcentrations increased markedly withincreasing P additions and in response tomycorrhiza.Mycorrhiza and P additions had no significanteffects on shoot U concentrations. However,root U concentrations in both genotypes weresignificantly increased by mycorrhiza. On theother hand, shoot U contents increased withincreasing P levels, while 20 mg P kg-1

stimulated and 60 mg P kg-1 inhibited Uaccumulation in roots. Root length specific Uuptake was moderately enhanced both by roothairs and strongly enhanced by mycorrhiza.Moreover, non-inoculated plants generally hadhigher shoot-root ratios of U content than thecorresponding inoculated controls.

Conclusion. Our study shows that AMF androot hairs improves not only P acquisition butalso the root uptake of U. Hence, mycorrhizais of potential use in phytostabilization of Ucontaminated environments. However, theimpacts of P on U accumulation by plantswere very complex.

Perspectives. The complex impacts of P on Uaccumulation by barley plants suggested thatU behavior in mycorrhizosphere andtranslocation along soil-fungi-plant continuumas affected by fertilization practices deserveextensive following studies for optimizing thefunction of the mycorrhizal associations forphytoremediation purposes.

Effects of arbuscularmycorrhizal inoculation onuranium and arsenicaccumulation by Chinese brakefern (Pteris vittata L.) from auranium mining-impacted soil

B.D. Chen a, Y.-G. Zhu a, ∗, F.A. Smith b

a Department of Soil Environmental Science,Research Center for Eco-EnvironmentalSciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100085, ChinabSoil and Land Systems, School of Earth andEnvironmental Sciences, The University ofAdelaide, Australia 5005

Abstract

Uranium (U) is one of the highly toxicradionuclides to both plants and mammals.Sometimes other toxic elements such asarsenic (As) also occur in U mines, whichadds to the difficulties of the management ofthe U-contaminated soils. A glasshouseexperiment was conducted to investigate Uand As accumulation by Chinese brake fern,Pteris vittata L., in association with differentarbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) from a Uand As contaminated soil. The soil usedcontains 111 mg U kg-1 and 106 mg As kg-1.Pteris vittata L. was inoculated with each ofthree AM fungi, Glomus mosseae, Glomuscaledonium and Glomus intraradices. Twoharvests were made during plant growth (twoand three months after transplanting).Mycorrhizal colonization depressed plantgrowth particularly at the early stages. TF(transfer factor) values for As from soil tofronds were higher than 1.0, while those forroots were much lower. Despite the growthdepressions, AM colonization had no effect ontissue As concentrations. Conversely, TFvalues for U were much higher for roots thanfor fronds, indicating that only very smallfraction of U was translocated to fronds (lessthan 2%). Mycorrhizal colonizationsignificantly increased root U concentrations

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at both harvests. Root colonization with G.mosseae or G. intraradices led to an increase inTF values for U from 7 (non-inoculation control)to 14. The highest U concentration of 1574 mgkg-1 was recorded in roots colonized by G.mosseae at the second harvest. The resultssuggested that Pteris vittata in combination withappropriate AMF would play very importantroles in bioremediation of combinedcontaminated environments.

Corresponding Author. Tel.: +86-10-6293-6940; fax: +86-10-6293-3563.E-mail address:ygzhu@mail.rcees.ac.cn (Y.-G. Zhu)

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A n n o u n c e m e n t s

International Conference«Modern Problems of Genetics,Radiobiology, Radioecology andEvolution»Yerevan, Armenia, 8-11September 2005

The conference is dedicated to the 105th

anniversary of birth of N.V. Timofeff-Resovsky, a famous Russian scientist, and the70th anniversary of publication of the book byN.V. Timofeeff-Resovsky, K. Zimmer and M.Delbruck «On the nature of gene mutations inthe gene structure», the first publication on theregularities of radiation effects on living cells.

The conference «Modern problems ofgenetics, radiobiology, radioecology andevolution» continues a scientific traditioninitiated in Dubna (Russia) where it was firstheld in 2000 under the UNESCO aegis andwith participation of the leading scientific andsocial international organizations.

The organizers of the conference are 17scientific and social internationalorganizations, including the InternationalUnion of Radioecology, Joint Institute forNuclear Research, American Genetic Society(USA), Delbruck Center for MolecularMedicine (Germany), National Academies ofSciences of Russia, Armenia, Belarus andUkraine.The program of the conference covers 6sections:

I. Genetics1. Mutation processes in genes and

chromosomes.2. Transition and heritable mutations.3. Mutation process in natural populations.4. Problems of medical genetics.

II. Radiobiology1. A genetic concept of biological effects of

ionizing radiation.2. The hit principle and non-target effects.3. Radiation biology of contaminated areas.

4. Radiation biophysics.III. Radioecology1. Ecosystems and their sensitivity to

contaminations.2. Radiation dosimetry in populations and

communities.3. Methods for estimating contamination of

large areas.4. Radioactive sensors as a tool in biochemistry

and biogeocenology.

IV. Adaptive evolution1. Evolution mechanisms.2. Evolution prerequisites.3. Stress effects on DNA.

V. Biospherelogy1. A theory of biosphere is a child of the

Russian national school in science2. Levels of life organization on the Earth and

the environment of the evolutionaryprocesses.

3. Biosphere and mankind in the thirdmillennium.

VI. Memorial section1. The round table «The world outlook

(ideology) of N.V. Timofeeff-Resovsky»

The working languages of the conference –Russian, English.For more details visit the website:http://www.jinr.ru/~drrr/Timofeeff

[ 14 ]

Recent Journals, Books andReportsIpatyev V.A., Bulko N.I., Mitin N.V.,Shabaleva M.A., Didenko L.G.Radioecological Phenomenon of ForestEcosystems. Gomel, Forest Institute,National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.2004. 310p.

The monograph integrates results of long-termfield, microfield and greenhouse experimentsfor studying interactions of differentcomponents of forest ecosystems ofBelorussian Polesyes affected by theChernobyl accident with the main dose-forming radionuclides (137Cs, 90Sr).

For the first time phytological (control ofspecies composition of forest phytocenoses),agrochemical and hydroameliorative methodshave been devised to reduce radionuclideaccumulation in the root horizons of soils, inplant and food products of forest, as well aseconomic effectiveness and prospects of thesemethods for various conditions of growing offorest ecosystems in radioactivelycontaminated areas have been assessed.

The book is of interest to a wide range ofspecialists - foresters, radiobiologists andradioecologists. It was published in Belarus(Gomel) in Russian, each chapter contains anabstract in English.

B.N. Annenkov, A.V. Yegorov, R.G. Ilyazov.Radiation Accidents and Mitigation ofTheir Consequences in the AgriculturalSphere / Ed. B.N. Annenkov. Kazan: «Fen»Publishers, Tatarstan Academy of Sciences,2004. 408p.

The book is written by the leadingradioecologists of Russia and the Republic ofTatarstan who took part in the mitigation ofconsequences of the accident at the «Mayak»Production Association in 1957 andChernobyl accident in 1986 and is based on

the authors’ own materials of research carriedout on the agricultural lands contaminated bythe accidents.

The book summarizes data on radionuclidesentering the biosphere as a result of nuclearweapons tests and radiation accidents. Itdescribes the regularities of migration of themain dose-forming radionuclides (90Sr, 137Cs)in the sphere of agricultural production,considers the most effective agrotechnical,agrochemical and zooveterinary measureswhich provide manyfold reduction in theradionuclide uptake to the basic foodstuffs ofhumans. The starting postulates and principlesof farming on lands heavily contaminated byradionuclides have been formulated.

Kudyasheva A.G., Shishkina L.N.,Shevchenko O.G., Bashlykova L.A.,Zagorskaya N.G. Biological effects ofradioactive contamination in populations ofmouse-like rodents. Ekaterinburg: Uralsdivision of RAS, 2004, 215p.

The book integrates results from the long-timeinvestigations carried out with naturalpopulations of mouse-like rodents inhabitingareas with normal and elevated level ofnatural radiation background (stations in theKomi Republic).

The following was analyzed: the dynamics ofthe population, sex-age structure of field mice,morpho-physiologic parameters, system oflipid peroxidation, activity of enzymes forantioxidant protection and energy exchange,processes of reproduction and development,micronuclear test, cytogenetic parameters incells and tissues of these parameters.

The regularities and specific features ofresponses of the parameters studied havebeen revealed as a function of ecologo-physiological condition of animals and levelof radioactive contamination of the area.

Moskalev A.A. Radiation induced alterationin Drosophilla melanogaster lifespan.

Book Reviews

[ 15 ]

Syktyvkar, 2004, 104p. (Komi Science Centerof Urals division of RAS).

Original experimental data are presented onthe role of genome destabilization andapoptosis deregulation in the aging process.

Nonirradiated drosophilla lines with defectedrepair system, antioxidant protection andapoptosis are shown to have higher aging ratethan lines of this kind.

It has been proved that cells with reducedprotection will accumulate damages and willbe subject to aging at a higher rate, theirradiation induced elimination at earlyontogenesis stages will result in slowing downof age-dependent alterations and reduce theaging rate.

However in succeeding irradiated generationsthis hormesis stress-response is replaced at thepopulation level for negative genetic effects,thereby reducing the lifespan.

Matery L.D., Ermakova O.V., Taskaev A.I.Morphofunctional estimation of the state ofsmall mammals in radioecologicalinvestigations (exemplified be a field mouse).Syktyvkar, 2003, 164p.

A generalized material is presented fromradioecological studies of radiation effects onliver, endocrine and hematopoietic systems ofMicrotus oeconomus Pall. inhabiting naturalbiogeocenoses with the elevated due to natural(Komi Republic) and anthropogenic (30 kmChNPP zone) factors radiation background.

Induced by low-level radiationmorphophysiological alterations in thesystems studied are caused by both destructiveand compensatory-recovery processes, theeffectiveness of which depends on thephysiological peculiarities of animals, changesof the population cycle phases and on genesis(nature) of radioactive contamination of thearea.

Pan Ziqiang et al. Radiation environmentalimpact assessment of the nuclear industry inChina in the three decades (1955-1985).China, Atomic Energy Press, 2004. 217 p.

The Chinese edition of Radiationenvironmental impact assessment of thenuclear industry in China in the three decades(1955-1985) was published in 1990 by AtomicEnergy Press, Beijing, China.The present edition is an English version of it.This book is aimed to present an overallsummary of the environmental situation in thesurrounding areas of China’s nuclear facilitiesin such a manner as to collect a wealth ofresearch results in the decades since thefounding of China’s nuclear industry.Emphases are placed on describing the modelsand parameters used in assessingenvironmental quality, environmentalbackground radiation levels in China and thework of environmental quality assessmentscarried out at various systems of the nuclearindustry. In addition, a comprehensiveoverview is made of the environmental qualityin the areas surrounding the nuclear facilitiesfor the three decades, with projections madeof the potential impacts upon environmentalquality that would be created in the futuredevelopment of nuclear energy.This book should be useful those who areinvolved in the sectors of nuclear and otherenergies, environmental science, radiationprotection and nuclear technique applicationsand for university teachers and studentsmajoring nuclear energy environmentalengineering.

Book Reviews

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Rudolf ALEXAKHINRussian Institute of Agricultural Radiology andAgroecologyKaluga Region249020 OBNINSK - RussiaE-Mail: riar@obninsk.org

François BRECHIGNACIRSN-DESTQ/DirCentre d”Etudes de Cadarache - (Bt 229)- BP 313115 ST-PAUL-LEZ-DURANCE (France)E-Mail : françois.bréchignac@irsn.fr

John HILTONCentre for Ecology and Hydrology, DorsetWinfrith Technology CentreWinfrith Newburgh, DorchesterDorset DT2 8ZDU.K.E-Mail: jhi@ceh.ac.uk

George HUNTER7A Park AvenueSTIRLING FK8 2QRU.K.E-Mail: twohunters@btopenworld.com

Deborah OUGHTONIsotope & Electron Microscopy LobaratoryAgricultural University of NorwayP.O.BOX 5026N 1432 AS - NorwayE-Mail: deborah.oughton@ikb.nlh.no

Gennady POLIKARPOVInstitute of BiologieIBSSProspekt Nakhimova 299011 SEBASTOPOL - UkraineE-Mail: ggp@iur.sebastopol.ua

Per STRANDNRPAP.O.BOX 551332 OSTERAAS - NorwayE-Mail: per.strand@nrpa.no

Yongguan ZHUDepartment of Soil Environmental SciencesResearch Centre for Eco-Environmental SciencesChinese Academy of Sciences18, Shuang Qing100085 BEIJING - ChinaE-Mail: ygzhu@mail.rcees.ac.com

Board of CouncilExecutive committee

President: Per Strand (Norway)Vice-President: Rudolf Alexhakin (Russia)Vice-Président: Yongguan Zhu (China)General Secretary: François Bréchignac (France)Treasurer: Deborah Oughton (Norway)Membership Sec. John Hilton (UK)

IUR SecretariatIRSN-DESTQ/DirCentre Etudes de CadaracheBât 229BP 313115 St-Paul-lez-DuranceFranceiur@irsn.fr

Advisory Panel - Regional Coordinators

CIS countries: Gennady Polikarpovggp@iur.sebastopol.ua

Asia: Yongguan Zhuygzhu@mail.rcees.ac.com

Australia and Pacific: Alex Zapantisalex.zapantis@ea.gov.au

Northern America: Tom Hintonthinton@srel.edu

Southern America: Paulina Schullerpschuller@uach.cl

Africa: Richard Newman,newman@tlabs.ac.za

Europe: François Bréchignac francois.brechignac@irsn.fr

Submissions to the Newsletter

François BréchignacIRSN-DESTQ/Dir Bât. 229Centre de Cadarache BP 313115 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance cedexFrancefrancois.brechignac@irsn.fr

Membership application

Interested persons, wishing to apply for IUR membership,can submit an application form to the General Secretaryat: iur@irsn.frApplication form available on the web front page at: http://www.iur-uir.org