[Grounds for using cattle as one of reference organisms in the system of environmental protection from radiation].
Taking into consideration the basic principles of environmental protection from radiation as stated in Publication 91 of the International Commission on Radiation Protection (ICRP), we suggest cattle to be included into fauna reference species group. The choice is based upon cattle being a typical representative of specific ecosystems and may serve as an informative biological indicator and comparable with humans for its susceptibility to radiation effects. Cattle will receive some higher radiation doses as compared to humans due to its habitat, also earlier determined physiological and radiation constants for cattle are available. Furthermore, there are some data for the effects of radiation levels more than 10 times as higher than the natural ones upon cattle reproductive function and leucosis infection. Using cattle as one of reference organisms will not complicate considerably the systems for environmental protection against radiation as compared to the ones existing now, that will just modify and supplement them.
Budarkov
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VA
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle / Q000254:growth & development*; D047852:Chernobyl Nuclear Accident; D006801:Humans; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000379:methods*; D011847:Radioactive Fallout / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis*; D012426:Russia; D014455:Ukraine
D011847:Radioactive Fallout