SOURCES OF RADIOACTIVITY IN FOODS

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1963 · Ohio Agr. Expt. Sta., Spec. Rept. Ser.

OSTI ID:4135309

Klement, Jr, A W

Various sources of environmental radioactivity that may affect its accumulation in foods are discussed. Plant roots are one of the most important entry routes of radioactive materials into biological systems. With respect to agriculture radium is usually the most important of the naturallyoccurring nuclides, with K/sup 40/ likely being the most abundant natural radionuclide in agricultural soils. Cosmic particles reacting with stable elements in the atmosphere, and to a lesser extent in the soil, are responsible for addition of tritium and C/sup 14/ to the food chain. Undoubtedly, the major source of current concern with regard to radioactivity in foods is debris from nuclear weapons tests. Of the radionuclides produced in nuclear weapons tests, most are short-lived and decay to unmeasurable amounts within the first few hours. Types of fallout generated by a nuclear detonation are relative to the yield of the explosion. Yields of less than 1 megaton primarily contaminate the Troposphere andd produce tropospheric fallout. The principle radionuclides of interest in Tropospheric fallout are I/sup 131/, Sr/sup 90/, Ba-- La/sup 140/, and Zr/sup 95/. Weapons with yields in excess of one megaton contaminate both Troposphere and Stratosphere. In the case of Stratospheric fallout, longer-lived nuclides such as Sr/sup 90/, Cs/sup 137/, C/sup 14/, and Pa/sup 239/ become important. Direct- cycle air-cooled reactors and reactor fuel processing plants are examples of industrial operations that release some radioactive debris to the atmosphere. Iodine-131 contamination of milk resulting from the Windscale incident is discussed. Basic methods of radioactive waste disposal are reviewed. (R.M.G.)

• Research Organization: Atomic Energy Commission, Washington, D.C.
• NSA Number: NSA-18-003617
• OSTI ID: 4135309
• Journal Information: Ohio Agr. Expt. Sta., Spec. Rept. Ser., Journal Name: Ohio Agr. Expt. Sta., Spec. Rept. Ser. Vol. Vol: No. 1
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

AGRICULTURE
BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
CARBON 14
CONTAMINATION
COSMIC RADIATION
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENT
FOOD
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
PLANTS
POTASSIUM 40
RADIOACTIVITY
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIUM
ROOTS
SOILS
TRITIUM