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The use of seaweed flies to assess the long-term effects of environmental mutagens - AE0131
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Description
R&D
Summary Objectives:-
Quantify mutagenic changes accumilated in seaweed flies over
several generations and correlate these with radiation
exposure in populations living naturally in areas where
radiation levels are increased. Develop a sensitive assay
of environmental mutagenesis.
Key customer purpose:-
Provide MAFF with a sensitive assay of environmental
mutagenesis. Improve understanding of long-term
environmental mutagenic effects and hence assist MAFF in its
assessment of the hazard arising from past and current
discharges of radioactive waste. |
Objective
The first objective is to expose a population of seaweed
flies (coelopa frigida) to a dose of radiation that is
approximately equivalent to the dose received by natural
populations during the 30 years of operation of the
Windscale/Sellafield installations. The flies will be
continously exposed over a period of one year during which
time they will have completed about 25 generations. The
dose rate will of necessity be higher than that normally
received by flies. Control populations will be cultured
under identical conditions, but without radiation.
The second objective is to measure the level of heterosis in
the exposed and control groups, and the 10 estimates of
heterosis will be carried out simultaneously during the two
months following the year's exposure. Analysis of the data
should be completed within a further four weeks. These
results should answer the crucial question as to whether
there is any detectable difference in the level of heterosis
between the experimental and control replicates. |
Time-Scale and Cost
From:
1994
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To:
1995
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Cost: £51,305 |
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Contractor / Funded Organisations
University - Nottingham |
Keywords
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Fields of Study
Environmental Protection - Marine |