title: A new version of the ERICA tool to facilitate impact assessments of radioactivity on wild plants and animals.
abstract: A new version of the ERICA Tool (version 1.2) was released in November 2014; this constitutes the first major update of the Tool since release in 2007. The key features of the update are presented in this article. Of particular note are new transfer databases extracted from an international compilation of concentration ratios (CRwo-media) and the modification of 'extrapolation' approaches used to select transfer data in cases where information is not available. Bayesian updating approaches have been used in some cases to draw on relevant information that would otherwise have been excluded in the process of deriving CRwo-media statistics. All of these efforts have in turn led to the requirement to update Environmental Media Concentration Limits (EMCLs) used in Tier 1 assessments. Some of the significant changes with regard to EMCLs are highlighted.
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, Department of Emergency Preparedness and Environmental Radioactivity, Grini næringspark 13 Postbox 55, NO-1332, Østerås, Norway. Electronic address: Justin.brown@nrpa.no.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Facilia AB, Gustavslundsvägen 151C, 167 51, Bromma, Sweden.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Alfonso
authors.affiliation: Facilia AB, Gustavslundsvägen 151C, 167 51, Bromma, Sweden.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Avila
authors.affiliation: NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Center, Library Av., Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA14AP, UK.
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Beresford
authors.affiliation: School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Copplestone
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, Department of Emergency Preparedness and Environmental Radioactivity, Grini næringspark 13 Postbox 55, NO-1332, Østerås, Norway.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hosseini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D016208:Databases, Factual; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000378:metabolism*; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism*; D000069079:Radiation Exposure; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D011851:Radioactivity; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012984:Software; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000378:metabolism*
keywords: ERICA tool; Environmental risk assessment; Non-human biota