The Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), in collaboration with external experts, has assessed potential health risks associated with the natural radioactivity of polymetallic nodules. According to the EU Radiation Protection Act, it is the effective body dose under realistic working conditions, rather than the activity concentration, that is decisive for assessing the actual risks posed by natural radionuclides in polymetallic nodules. The new investigations show that there are no fundamental health risks associated with the natural radioactivity of nodules.
For more details, please see this paper published in Nature: Estimations of effective doses received from naturally occurring radioactivity in polymetallic nodules from the deep sea.
