A review on the use of lichens as a biomonitoring tool for environmental radioactivity
- Author:
- Anderson J., Lévesque N., Caron F., Beckett P. & Spiers G.A.
- Year:
- 2022
- Journal:
- Journal of Environmental Radioactivity
- Pages:
- 243: 106797 [23 p.]
- Url:
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106797
Lichens have been widely used as a biomonitoring tool to record the distribution and concentration of airborne
radioactivity and pollutants such as metals. There are limitations, however: although pollutants can be preserved
in lichen tissues for long periods of time, not all radioactive and inert elements behave similarly. The chemical
species of elements at the source, once captured, and the mode of storage within lichens play a role in this
biomonitoring tool.
Lichens are a symbiotic association of an algal or cyanobacterial partner (photobiont) with a fungal host
(mycobiont). Lichens grow independently of the host substrates, including rocks, soils, trees and human-made
structures. Lacking a root system, lichen nutrient or contaminant uptake is mostly through direct atmospheric
inputs, mainly as wet and dry deposition. As lichens grow in a large variety of environments and are resilient in
harsh climates, they are adapted to capture and retain nutrients from airborne sources.
The context of this review partially relates to future deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) and mining
in remote areas of Canada. SMRs have been identified as a future source of energy (electricity and heat) for
remote off-grid mines, potentially replacing diesel fuel generation facilities. For licensing purposes, SMR
deployment and mine development requires capabilities to monitor background contaminants (natural radioactivity
and metals) before, during and after deployment, including for decommissioning and removal. Key
aspects reviewed herein include: (1) how lichens have been used in the past to monitor radioactivity; (2) radiocontaminants
capture and storage in lichens; (3) longevity of radiocontaminant storage in lichen tissues; and (4)
limitations of lichens use for monitoring radiocontaminants and selected metals.
Keywords: Lichens; Environmental radioactivity; Airborne radioactivity; Environmental monitoring; Biomonitoring.
- Id:
- 34026
- Submitter:
- zdenek
- Post_time:
- Monday, 03 January 2022 11:14