RADIOACTIVITY IN FOODS--POULTRY AND ANIMALS IN GENERAL
Fission products most commonly considered important in animal foods are Sr/sup 89/, Sr/sup 90/, Cs/sup 137/, Ba/sup 137/, Ba/sup 140 /, and I/sup 131/. The two most probable sources from which large amounts of Sr/sup 89/ and Sr/sup 90/ could be obtained are plant and andimal products high in calcium. Radio- strontium isotopes, concentrated in the bones and egg shells of meat animals, may be removed prior to slaughter of the animal via feeding either a calcium- deficient diet or a highly calcium-rich diet. Due to confinement of radiostrontium in food products primarily to bone and egg shell, the consumption hazard is small. However, cooking processes may result in a migration of these nuclides to edible portions. Cesium137 enters the food chain via plant root absorption. The Cs/sup 137/ entering a plant occupies the same molecular position as potassium in the fiber structure but does not react biochemically as a part of the enzyme system. Cesium concentrates in the soft tissues and muscles. Radioisotopes of iodine are predominately concentrated in the thyroid gland, some is excreted in milk. Iodine-129 and I/sup 131/ are not a hazard in meat and eggs. Barium 137-- 140 is such a poorly absorbed element and so highly complexed in the gut that it probably will not become any great danger. Criteria are drawn for radioactivity determinations in meat and eggs, and basic recommendations are made for formulation of discriminating ratios. (H.M.G.)
- Research Organization:
- West Virginia Univ., Morgantown, W. Va.
- NSA Number:
- NSA-18-003618
- OSTI ID:
- 4139267
- 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
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