Nuclear technologies in solving the water pollution problem
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) helps countries detect and control plastic and biotoxin pollution in the sea and ocean, which are causing outbreaks of seafood poisoning and melting glaciers.
Outbreaks of biotoxins occur in tropical areas and affect small island states whose main occupation is the fishery. The biotoxin that spreads through the coastal zones is called ciguatoxin (produced during the blooming of the ciguatera algae and infects seafood, causing severe food poisoning).
The IAEA’s marine laboratories are developing ways to monitor ciguatera using nuclear and isotopic techniques that can quickly identify biotoxins in seafood and accurately detect outbreaks. The laboratories will also transfer the technology to small island states to better control marine toxins: by identifying fish at high risk of poisoning, local authorities can make informed decisions about seafood safety to protect their citizens and support sustainable fishery.
Like biotoxins, microplastics can accumulate in the food chain and, like algae blooms, poison water and coasts. However, unlike algae pollution, plastic spreads regardless of climate and region.
The IAEA launched the NUTEC Plastics project in 2020, which uses a number of monitoring laboratories for analysis and sampling. In this project, 61 countries participated to equip more than 50 laboratories with monitoring technologies. Participants plan to develop protocols for marine monitoring, build national capacity to report on the status and trends of plastic pollution in coastal and marine areas, and report on the density and types of microplastics detected on beaches and in seawater. The ultimate goal of the project is to form a global network capable of monitoring microplastics in the ocean.
In addition to the main threat to the seas and oceans, the presence of microplastics can accelerate the melting of ice in the Antarctic: by reducing reflectivity, changing surface roughness, increasing microbiological activity and the action of plastic as a heat insulator.
The IAEA researchers began work on assessing the impact and scale of plastic pollution in the Antarctic: for a month, scientists have been assessing the impact of microplastics by studying their presence and distribution in seawater, lakes, sand, wastewater and animals of the Antarctic ecosystem. Subsequently, the information obtained will help to determine where, how much and what type of microplastics arrive in the Antarctic.