The radiological situation at the atolls of Mururoa and Fangataufa. Technical report. V. 6. Doses due to radioactive materials present in the environment or released from the atolls

In the previous volumes of this Report the concentrations of residual radioactivity in the environment of Mururoa and Fangataufa atolls have been described, and assessment made of the releases to the environment in the future. The further step in radiological assessment is the derivation of radiation doses that arise to actually or potentially exposed populations, from these concentrations and releases. These doses are estimated in this report. The existence of a hypothetical population resident on Mururoa is postulated as the group which would be most exposed. Doses to this group are estimated together with doses to maximally exposed residents on nearby South Pacific islands, and further afield. An assessment of the potential environmental impact of the residual contaminant radionuclides from the nuclear weapons testing at Mururoa and Fangataufa requires estimates of the incremental dose rates to a variety of marine organisms inhabiting a number of different ecological niches. These estimated dose rates provide the only secure basis for an assessment of the potential radiation effects in the organisms. The approach adopted for this assessment is that employed in a number of recent studies and adapts the dosimetry models for the particular organisms of interest in the atoll environment