Bioconcentration of fallout sup 137 Cs by fungi and red-backed voles (Clethrionomys gapperi)

Journal Article · Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1989 · Health Physics; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1097/00004032-198912000-00011· OSTI ID:5044019

Mihok, S; Schwartz, B; Wiewel, A M ^[1]

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1. Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited Research Company, Pinawa, Manitoba (Canada)

Cesium-137 and 40K concentrations were measured in vegetation and in red-backed voles (Clethrionomys gapperi) in southeastern Manitoba, Canada, following the Chernobyl accident in 1986. Voles from wet coniferous habitats contained concentrations of {sup 137}Cs twenty- to fiftyfold higher than voles from deciduous habitats. Maximum {sup 137}Cs values were observed in autumn. Voles captured in a spruce bog at this time contained an average body burden of about 11 Bq. Concentrations in vegetation samples were similar to those found by other researchers. Overall, there was only minimal evidence of contamination attributable to Chernobyl in either vegetation or voles. The primary source of {sup 137}Cs in voles appeared to be dietary, particularly mushrooms that contained up to 74 Bq g-1 ash. Based on physiological constraints, mushrooms were the only plausible source of {sup 137}Cs in autumn diets. Elevated values at other times in coniferous areas may have been related to the consumption of epiphytic lichens. These findings suggest that fungi, or the animals that consume them, can serve as sensitive indicators of {sup 137}Cs contamination in the environment.

• OSTI ID: 5044019
• Journal Information: Health Physics; (USA), Vol. 57:6; ISSN 0017-9078
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CESIUM 137
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
FOOD CHAINS
CONTAMINATION
FUNGI
RADIONUCLIDE KINETICS
VOLES
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
CHERNOBYLSK-4 REACTOR
FALLOUT
MANITOBA
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
ACCIDENTS
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ANIMALS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CANADA
CESIUM ISOTOPES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
GRAPHITE MODERATED REACTORS
ISOTOPES
LWGR TYPE REACTORS
MAMMALS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PLANTS
POWER REACTORS
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTORS
RODENTS
THERMAL REACTORS
VERTEBRATES
WATER COOLED REACTORS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
560162* - Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
& Toxicology- Animals
Plants
Microorganisms
& Cells
540130 - Environment
Atmospheric- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)