Dr Brenda Howard MBE

Radioecologist

Research interests

My research interests include radionuclide transfer to animals in agricultural and semi-natural ecosystems, the development of countermeasures, analysis of radioecological sensitivity and radionuclide transfer to wildlife. I have studied the transfer of radionuclides to agricultural and wild animals for more than 30 years. I have recently been involved in a major updating of the major international source on transfer parameters for animals (TRS 472). My contribution has concerned radionuclide transfer to agricultural animals, part of which has been achieved by synthesizing, with Dr Fesenko of the IAEA, the large amount of Russian-language work on large animals. I am currently chair of the transfer working group 5 of the IAEA EMRAS II programme (Environmental Modelling for Radiation Safety), which is preparing a Technical Report Series handbook on radionuclide transfer to wildlife. 

I have coordinated eight EU framework projects. The most recent was a EURATOM project, PROTECT (Protection of the environment from ionising radiation in a regulatory context), which evaluated the different approaches to protection of the environment from ionising radiation and compared these with those used for non-radioactive contaminants. This provided a scientific justification to propose numerical targets or standards for protection of the environment from ionising radiation. I am leading CEH participation in the STAR network which commenced in February, 2011.

Brief CV

I have a PhD in physiological heavy metal detoxification mechanisms, from which I published my first three papers. Since then, I have produced 130 refereed papers, focusing on factors affecting radionuclide behaviour in the terrestrial environment. In addition to many contract reports and conference proceedings, I have published 17 books, including special issues of journals and contributions to a number of IAEA documents, notably the Transfer Parameter handbook (TRS 472) and the environment section of Chernobyl forum report published on the 20th anniversary of the accident.

I was awarded an MBE for my radioecological work in 2002.

(IAEA 2010 Handbook of Parameter Values for the Prediction of Radionuclide Transfer in Terrestrial and Freshwater Environment: Technical Reports Series No. 472. IAEA, Vienna.)

Recent/selected publications

See also the NERC Open Research Archive.

Howard, B.J. Beresford, N.A., Barnett, C.L. Fesenko, S. (2009). Quantifying the transfer of radionuclides to food products from domestic farm animals. J. Environ. Radioact., 100, 767-773.

Howard, B.J. Beresford, N.A. Barnett, C.L. Fesenko S. (2009). Revision of TRS 364: Gastrointestinal fractional absorption of radionuclides in adult domestic ruminants. J. Environ. Radioact., 100, 1069-1078.

Beresford, N.A., Barnett, C.L., Brown, J.E., Cheng, J-J., Copplestone, D., Gaschak, S., Hosseini, A., Howard, B.J., Kamboj, S., Nedveckaite, T.,  Olyslaegers, G., Smith, J.T., Vives I Batlle, J., Vives-Lynch, S., Yu, C. (2010). Predicting the radiation exposure of terrestrial wildlife in the Chernobyl exclusion zone: an international comparison of approaches. J. Radiol. Prot., 30, 341-373

Garnier-Laplace, J., Della-Vedova, C., Andersson, P., Copplestone, D., Cailes, C., Beresford, N.A., Howard, B. J., Howe, P., Whitehouse, P. (2010). A multi-criteria weight of evidence approach for deriving ecological benchmarks for radioactive substances. J. Radiol. Prot., 30, 215-233

Howard, B. J., Beresford, N. A., Andersson, P., Brown, J. E., Copplestone,  D., Beaugelin-Seiller, K., Garnier-Laplace, J., Howe, P. Oughton, D., Whitehouse, P. (2010). Protection of the environment from ionising radiation in a regulatory context – an overview of the PROTECT coordinated action project. J. Radiol. Prot., 30, 195-214.

Yankovich, T.L., Vives i Batlle, J., Vives-Lynch, S., Beresford, N.A., Barnett, C.L., Beaugelin-Seiller, K., Brown, J.E., Cheng, J-J., Copplestone, D., Heling, R., Hosseini, A., Howard, B.J., Kamboj. S, Kryshev, A.I., Nedveckaite, T., Smith, J.T., Wood, M.D. (2010). An international model validation exercise on radionuclide transfer and doses to freshwater biota. J. Radiol. Prot., 30, 299-340

Nisbet, A.F.; Brown, J.; Howard, B.J.; Beresford, N.A.; Ollagnon, H.; Turcanu., C.; Camps, J.; Andersson, K.; Rantavaara, A.; Ikäheimonen, T.; Duranova, T.; Oughton, D.; Kirchner, G.; Papachristodoulou, C.; Ioannides, K.; Kwakman, P. (2010). Decision aiding handbooks for managing contaminated food production systems, drinking water and inhabited areas in Europe. Radioprotection., 45, (5), S23-S37.

Yankovich T.L., Beresford N.A., Wood M., Aono T., Andersson P., Barnett C.L., Bennett P., Brown J., Fesenko S.,Hosseini A.,. Howard B.J,  Johansen M, Phaneuf  M., Tagami K., Takata H., Twining J., Uchida S. Whole-body to tissue concentration ratios for use in biota dose assessments for animals. Radiation Environ Biophys., 49, (4), 549-565