ERICA Tool 2.0 - Release

The ERICA Assessment Tool has been updated to version 2.0.

The update from ERICA version 1.3 to version 2.0 comprises the following new features, changes, and fixes:

  • New dosimetry:
    • The ERICA Tool now integrates the ICRP Biota DC software tool, ver. 1.5.1 (implementing ICRP Publication 136) for the calculation of dose conversion coefficients (DCC) for user-defined organisms
    • A new approach for the calculation of the dose contribution from short-lived progeny in a decay chain has been implemented, for a chosen integration period of 1 year. Short-lived progeny are now modelled explicitly, with a correction to allow for radioactive decay of the unsupported progeny during the integration period. Further information is available in the help file (see “Calculation of media activity concentrations in decay chains”). 
  • Inclusion of noble gases and radon and thoron
    • Implementation of DCCs for external radiation from immersion in air derived using the ICRP Biota DC software tool
    • Inclusion of DCCs for internal alpha radiation for radon and thoron in animals based on:
      • Vives i Batlle, J., Ulanovsky, A., Copplestone, D. (2017). A method for assessing exposure of terrestrial wildlife to environmental radon (Rn-222) and thoron (Rn-220). Science of The Total Environment, 605–606, pp. 569-577.
      • See Help “A note on noble gases”. 
  • Updated CRs
    • Values updated for consistency with the Wildlife Transfer Database (WTD)
    • A new method has been implemented to derive ERICA default CR value when no empirical data available for the nuclide/organism combination
    • References to the WTD have been added. 
    • New equilibrium correction factors for short-lived radionuclides have been implemented to allow for lower steady state activity concentrations than would be predicted for stable or longer-lived nuclides.
    • CR values for Phosphorus and Sulphur in the terrestrial ecosystem now relate to radionuclide activity concentrations in soil and not in air as in previous versions of the tool.
  • Updated Kds for freshwater to be consistent with IAEA MODARIA working group (Boyer P., Wells C., Howard B., (2018), Extended Kd distributions for freshwater environment, Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 192, 128 – 142).
  • EMCLs updated to take account changes to parameter values
  • Various functional enhancements, including:
    • Added option to import several organisms (see Database > Organisms). 
    • Added new screen to display the WTD references (see Database / WTD references). 
    • The Help documentation has been updated. 
    • Fixes and enhancements to the tool's interface. 

These changes are summarised in slides from the ICRER Online event, held in July 2021, which are still available for download here. In addition,  a new report describing the main features of the update, the implication of changes on ERICA Tool results (as compared with version 1.3) and an overview of the underlying reasons behind the key changes has been prepared and is also available here.