Fish otoliths as biological dosimeter: internal dose calculation

Otoliths are organs used by fish for hearing and keeping balance. They consist of biogenic crystals of hydroxyapatite and do not contain any living cells. Upon exposure to ionizing radiation, otolith hydroxyapatite accumulates radiation-induced stable CO 2 − radicals whose amount is proportional to absorbed dose. In electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) dosimetry, carbonate ions are registered and, hence, the total accumulated dose in the fish otolith can be quantified. Therefore, otoliths can be used as individual fish dosimeters to support radiobiological and radioecological studies. An important aspect of otolith-based EPR dosimetry on fish from contaminated water bodies is the potential presence of bone-seeking 90 Sr. Consequently, cumulative absorbed doses measured with EPR in otoliths may reflect the superposition of internal exposure to 90 Sr/ 90 Y and external exposure due to radionuclides circulating in soft tissue of the fish as well as due to environmental contamination. The objective of the present study was to develop a method that allows for an assessment of the contribution of 90 Sr to the total dose in otolith. The method has been tested using otoliths from seven fish taken from reservoirs located in the Southern Urals contaminated with radionuclides including 90 Sr. It has been shown that dose to otoliths is largely determined by 90 Sr in the hydroxyapatite. The internal dose component can be calculated using activity concentration-to-dose conversion factors, which vary slightly in the range of 2.0–2.8 × 10 –3 Gy year −1 per Bq g −1 depending on fish species and age. Internal doses to fish from water bodies with different levels of 90 Sr contamination were calculated in the range from 2 mGy to ~ 200 Gy. External dose contribution was derived for two fish only to be about 100 and 40 Gy. It is concluded that EPR dosimetry on fish otoliths is a promising tool when external exposure prevails or is comparable to internal exposure due to 90 Sr.