15. Radioactive Content in Fish from Black Sea Caches. Its Impact on Population by Food Consumption

Marine living resources are a recognized food basis. The exploitation of species with economic value has increased in intensity, along with the sharp global food demand. The Black Sea, as a semi-enclosed sea, has a limited potential in this respect. The stocks have decreased recently and, consequently, restricted limits of fishing are needed in all riparian countries. The catches in the Romanian sector ranged from 568 to 2231 tons during 2011–2014. The dominant species were rapa whelk, sprat, anchovy and turbot. As the amount of fish catches is limited, most of the fish is intended for local consumption. Food quality and safety focus attention on the conditions of consumer acceptance. Among targeted indicators, the level of radioactivity has a special importance. This is particularly substantiated for the Black Sea, as a receiving area of all normal and nuclear activities impact from the continent, besides the scientific interest related to the migration of radionuclides in the aquatic environment. This paper presents the natural and artificial significant radionuclide levels measured in fish and an extrapolation to population exposure through food consumption. Thus, it was found that Cs-137 is present between 0.42 and 0.94 Bq/kg fw and K-40 between 36 and 184 Bq/kg fw. The maximum values were considered in calculating exposure for target groups and the entire resource caught. The results obtained do not show an exceeding of the legal limits and do not constitute a risk by food consumption.