Bioaccumulation of cesium-137 in yellow bullhead catfish (Ameiurus natalis) inhabiting an abandoned nuclear reactor reservoir
- Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States). Dept. of Veterinary Pathobiology
- Univ. of Georgia, Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River Ecology Lab.
Bioaccumulation of {sup 137}Cs was investigated in yellow bullhead catfish (Ameiurus natalis) inhabiting an abandoned reactor reservoir, Pond B, Savannah River Site, Barnwell Co., South Carolina. The authors collected fish by trap-netting, and determined ages from pectoral spines. Muscle and other tissues were assayed for {sup 137}Cs by NaI-scintillation. Music {sup 137}Cs was unrelated to sex or mass of fish, but was related to age. Examination of least-squares means suggested that {sup 137}Cs in muscle increased up to about age 3, but did not increase with greater age. A modified Richards model showed equilibrium {sup 137}Cs concentration in muscle was acquired in approximately 2.4 years. Growth differed between sexes and the time to asymptotic body mass was longer than the time to attain equilibrium {sup 137}Cs concentration. Males attained an asymptotic mass of 577 g in approximately 6.3 years; females attained an asymptotic mass of 438 g in approximately 5.9 years. The cumulative {sup 137}Cs burden of the population was 4.9 {times} 10{sup 6} Bq, representing <0.001% of the {sup 137}Cs inventory of the reservoir. Concentration of {sup 137}Cs varied among tissues with gill and muscle the lowest and highest. Concentration of {sup 137}Cs in ovaries declined with increasing ovary mass. Until equilibrium is attained in these fish, {sup 137}Cs concentration is directly related to increasing age rather than size.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 474331
- Journal Information:
- Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol. 16, Issue 2; Other Information: PBD: Feb 1997
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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