skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Uptake of atmospheric tritium by market foods

Conference · · Fusion Technology; (United States)
OSTI ID:5013604
; ;  [1]
  1. Div. of Environmental Health, National Inst. of Radiological Sciences, 9-1, Anagawa-4-chome, Chiba-shi 260 (JP)

In this paper uptake of tritium by market foods from tritiated water vapor in the air is investigated using cereals and beans purchased in Deep River, Canada. The concentrations of tissue free water tritium (TFWT) and organically bound tritium (OBT) range from 12 to 79% and from 10 to 38% respectively, of that estimated for atmospheric water vapor of the sampling month. The specific activity ratios of OBT to TFWT were constant for cereals, but variable for beans. The elevated OBT was shown to be the result of isotopic exchange of labile hydrogen by the fact that washing the foods with tritium free-water reduced their tritium contents to levels characteristic of their production sites.

OSTI ID:
5013604
Report Number(s):
CONF-910920-; CODEN: FUSTE
Journal Information:
Fusion Technology; (United States), Vol. 21:2; Conference: 4. topical meeting on tritium technology in fission, fusion, and isotopic applications, Albuquerque, NM (United States), 29 Sep - 4 Oct 1991; ISSN 0748-1896
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English