Biological effects benchmarks for the protection of aquatic organisms against radiation

In Canada, regulations developed under the Nuclear Safety Control Act require that license applicants describe the effects on the environment of the nuclear facility to be licensed. For the purpose of assessing risks to the environment the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission recommends the use of an ecological risk assessment approach. It is based on toxicity benchmarks from chronic exposure studies of reproduction and survival in sensitive species. The benchmarks or Estimated No Effect Values (ENEVs) for the various taxonomic groups are determined from literature data using an ecotoxicological approach. The ENEVs derived for radiation effects on aquatic biota are: 0.6 mGyxd-1 for fish, 2 mGyxd-1 for amphibians and reptiles, 2.4 mGyxd-1 for algae and macrophytes and 4.6 mGyxd-1 for benthic invertebrates. (author)