Transuranic concentrations in reef and pelagic fish from the Marshall Islands. [/sup 239/Pu, /sup 240/Pu]

Conference · Mon Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1980

OSTI ID:5098245

Noshkin, V E; Eagle, R J; Wong, K M; Jokela, T A

Concentrations of /sup 239 + 240/Pu are reported in tissues of several species of reef and pelagic fish caught at 14 different atolls in the northern Marshall Islands. Several regularities that are species dependent are evident in the distribution of /sup 239 + 240/Pu among different body tissues. Concentrations in liver always exceeded those in bone and concentrations were lowest in the muscle of all fish analyzed. A progressive discrimination against /sup 239 + 240/Pu was observed at successive trophic levels at all atolls except Bikini and Enewetak, where it was difficult to conclude if any real difference exists between the average concentration factor for /sup 239 + 240/Pu among all fish, which include bottom feeding and grazing herbivores, bottom feeding carnivores, and pelagic carnivores from different atoll locations. The average concentration of /sup 239 + 240/Pu in the muscle of surgeonfish from Bikini and Enewetak was not significantly different from the average concentrations determined in these fish at the other, lesser contaminated atolls. Concentrations among all 3rd, 4th, and 5th trophic level species are highest at Bikini where higher environmental concentrations are found. The reasons for the anomalously low concentrations in herbivores from Bikini and Enewetak are not known.

• Research Organization: California Univ., Livermore (USA). Lawrence Livermore Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 5098245
• Report Number(s): UCRL-84213; CONF-801063-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

520302 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- Aquatic Ecosystems & Food Chains-- (-1987)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560172* -- Radiation Effects-- Nuclide Kinetics & Toxicology-- Animals-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
BODY
CONTAMINATION
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
DISTRIBUTION
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ECOSYSTEMS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FISHES
FOOD CHAINS
GLANDS
HEAVY NUCLEI
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
ISLANDS
ISOTOPES
LIVER
MARSHALL ISLANDS
MASS TRANSFER
MICRONESIA
MUSCLES
NUCLEI
OCEANIA
ORGANS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PACIFIC OCEAN
PLUTONIUM 239
PLUTONIUM 240
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE KINETICS
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
SEAS
SEAWATER
SKELETON
SURFACE WATERS
TISSUE DISTRIBUTION
VERTEBRATES
WATER
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES