Cesium-137 in deer: Savannah River Plant vs. southeastern coastal plain herds

Conference · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1979

OSTI ID:5275381

Watts, J. R.; Rabon, E. W.; Dicks, A. S.

The /sup 137/Cs content in deer killed during programmed hunts at the Savannah River Plant (SRP) has averaged 9.0 pCi/g. This value, based on measurements of 13,907 deer taken over 14 years (1965 to 1978), similar to the value obtained for 552 deer from other southeastern Coastal Plain locations, indicating the /sup 137/Cs content is due to fallout from the atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons rather than from SRP operations. The computerized SRP data base for each harvested deer includes age, sex, weight, cesium content, kill location, date, and the hunter's name. Analysis of these data enables the estimation of population dose from ingestion of the edible meat. Consumption of all edible meat from deer killed at SRP from 1965 to 1978 gives a whole body population dose of 196 man-rem from /sup 137/Cs. Assuming an annual consumption rate of 20 kg gives an average individual whole body dose of 13 mrem, about 10% of local annual background level. The radiation dose from /sup 40/K of natural potassium content of deer is comparable to the radiation dose from /sup 137/Cs.

• Research Organization: Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, SC (USA). Savannah River Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-76SR00001
• OSTI ID: 5275381
• Report Number(s): DP-MS-79-111; CONF-800731-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

510302 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- Terrestrial Ecosystems & Food Chains-- (-1987)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560152* -- Radiation Effects on Animals-- Animals
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ANIMALS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-PLUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CESIUM 137
CESIUM ISOTOPES
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DEER
DOSES
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
FALLOUT
FOOD CHAINS
FORECASTING
HUMAN POPULATIONS
INGESTION
INTAKE
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MAMMALS
MONITORING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NATURAL RADIOACTIVITY
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
POPULATIONS
POTASSIUM 40
POTASSIUM ISOTOPES
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIOACTIVITY
RADIOISOTOPES
RUMINANTS
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
SOUTHEAST REGION
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
VERTEBRATES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES