Preliminary results of radionuclide monitoring and risk assessment for biota in the marine ecosystem of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to provide an example of radioecological monitoring using the Mytilus galloprovincialis L. as an indicator organism, following the example of many Mussel Watch monitoring programs in the world. Using gamma spectrometric measurements and ERICA software for risk assessment, we offer the first results in a radioecological sense for the marine ecosystem of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Organisms that are at risk of manifesting the effects of higher radionuclide activities are birds, mammals, phytoplankton and reptiles. The highest risk coefficient of 5.73E+01 is for phytoplankton. If 5 kg of mussels are consumed by humans on an annual level, observed radionuclides would produce an effective dose of 25.6 μSv/a.