Tree Radiation Research Project

Historically, this  exposure has included radiation accidents, leaks, and even purposeful releases around the world.  Unfortunately, for most of these areas there has been no way to measure or reconstruct the radiation dosage nor the genetic and biological consequences to those who were exposed.

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We propose to use long-lived tree species (individuals that survived each of these events) to measure the genetic damage caused by radiation as living dosimeters, whereby we will create a calibration method to link the genetic damage of exposed trees to the amount of radiation that was released.  We will do this by using radiography to determine which parts of sampled leaves have sequestered the most radiation and then use next generation sequencing methods to collect sequence data from those same sampled leaf areas to determine how many and what type mutations have resulted from this exposure.  Although trees and animals are obviously completely different organisms, we feel that using trees as a proxy for animals is a first step to creating those critical measurements which, at a minimum, will allow us to determine how much radiation the trees, resident people, and animals were exposed to when the radiation was first released.

We propose to conduct verifiable, peer-reviewed, publishable research whereby we compare the genetic patterns of long-lived trees that have been exposed to radioactive releases from around the world (Three Mile Island, Fukushima Daiichi, Nagasaki, Hiroshima, Chalk River, etc.) to similar regional trees that have not been exposed. This should allow us to:

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1) quantify the genetic impacts of exposure, which will likely include an increased mutation rate,

2) detect any adaptive mutations that are useful in helping trees cope with these events,

3) document other unknown genetic ramifications from such extreme radiation exposure.

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We will then compare the number and type of mutations that were accumulated in these trees with the documented/estimated radiation releases for known areas (Fukushima, Hiroshima and Nagasaki) and create a calibration curve where we plot the number and type of mutations against the reported/calculated radiation exposure.  We will then use this calibration curve and sequenced tree data to quantify areas where dosage was either not recorded or misreported (TMI, Chalk River).  If our method works, we will be able to reconstruct the amount of radiation that was released historically from areas around the world, giving us an incredibly valuable tool for future use by anyone who has been exposed to radiation either by accident or intentional means.