Abstract
In this paper, the possibility of the biological monitoring by Tradescantia for radiation effluents from a power reactor site is considered. Data for analysis were obtained through the experimental study which had been conducted by Expert Committee on Biological Effects of Environmental Radiation and carried out from 1979 to 1981 near to Takahama Nuclear Power Plant in Fukui Prefecture. Measurements had been taken on the mutation frequency in Tradescantia stamen hairs and environmental factors including evaluated radioactive airborne effluents, natural airborne radioactivity, weather conditions and air pollution indices. This paper is coupled with Yamaguchi et al. (1985); while the latter tackles the problem, mainly by comparing the observed (calculated) concentration levels of radioactive effluents with biological thresholds, this paper presents the results of statistical data analysis which revealed the following: (1) There is highly significant negative correlation between temperature before blooming and mutation frequency. (2) After adjusting the effect of temperature, there is no significant association between radioactive effluents and mutation frequency.
