An Indicator of Radiation Effects in Natural Populations of Aquatic Organisms

Analyses of the distribution of chromosome aberrations in cells and of the frequency of different types of aberrations are proposed for the assessment of the contribution of radioactive and chemical factors to the total damage to natural populations of aquatic organisms. It has been shown that the chromosome damage observed in aquatic worm populations under absorbed dose rates of the order 10 μGy.h-1 and more was, to a significant extent, caused by radioactive pollution of the environment the lake in the vicinity of the Chernobyl NPP. (author)