Turtle shells can measure nuclear pollution

An interesting study published in the scientific journal PNAS Nexus explores how uranium accumulates in the outer shells of chelonians, a reptile order that includes turtles land and sea turtles.

To put it simply, just as tree rings give a rough indication of the age of the earth, turtle shells can measure the age of the earth. nuclear pollution.

“When we consider the legacy of nuclear deployment, testing and production in the 20th century, we must now also consider the Helonians and their experiences in the areas where these activities took place,” the study says.

The researchers focused on turtles from areas with nuclear contamination and measured the amount of uranium that was present in the scutellum, the outer bony shell that is usually made of keratin. Each layer of the shell is equal to one year of her life, so it can reveal what happened in the turtle’s environment.

Five different cheloniums from natural history collections were studied. One of them originated from Enewetak Atoll and was collected in 1978. Enewetak Atoll and its neighbor, Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, have been the site of 67 nuclear tests, with Enewetak being the site of 43 of them. Although the sea turtle was probably not alive at the time of the test, the researchers did find uranium contamination in the turtle 20 years after the end of the test.

The researchers also observed the eastern box turtle from Oak Ridge, Tennessee in the US. Oak Ridge is home to a nuclear facility that has been producing and processing uranium since 1943. The turtle examined there was captured in 1962 and may contain bioaccumulated radionuclides or radioactive materials from uranium waste in the area.

Research supports the idea that these animals can bioaccumulate artificial or environmental radionuclides. It also supports the idea that these animals, often very long-lived, can record information about human activities with nuclear landscapes over an extended period.