Chernobyl Radiation Harming Animals

A recent study by Anders Moller and Timothy Mousseau published in the latest issue of Royal Society Biology Letters indicates continuous exposure to low doses of radiation has been harmful to animals living in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.  Mousseau is the directory of the Chernobyl Research Initiative at the University of South Carolina.

The report, titled “Reduced abundance of insects and spiders to radiation at Chernobyl 20 years after the accident,” determined that insect, bird and other animal populations have dramatically diminished since the April 1986 accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

The three year study included population censuses of invertebrates at more than 700 sites near Chernobyl. At each site, researchers measured radiation levels and counted bumblebees, butterflies, grasshoppers, dragonflies and spider webs.

The insect study was inspired by prior work with birds, when researchers noticed a decline in grasshopper populations and lowered fruit production.

The current study is also analyzing wolf, fox, rabbit, squirrel and other animal populations. Scientists are not ready to release findings about these animals, but the insect study and previous bird surveys indicate that many species are either absent or in very low numbers in the Chernobyl region.

The downward population trend appears to be due to:

• Accumulation of radiation in some species over many generations through ingestion of contaminated dirt, water and food
• As one animal or insect population declines, another might take its place. This new “replacement” species may also become contaminated, thus reducing its later survival rates.

These recent studies suggest that as a result of the above processes, the Chernobyl ecosystem has never fully recovered and remains in distress. Further, these studies have identified mutations in many different species of birds, plants, animals and humans.

Photo: T. Mousseau