{sup 129}I, {sup 131}I and {sup 127}I in animal thyroids after the Chernobyl nuclear accident
- Univ. of Tennessee, Memphis, TN (United States)
- Radiooekologie Universitaet, Hannover (Germany)
A small number of animal thyroids from Bad Hall, Austria; Ulm, Germany; and Steinkjer, Norway had {sup 131}I (half-life 8.06 d) measured between 21 and 72 d following the nuclear accident at Chernobyl on 26 April 1986. Nine years later {sup 129}I (half-life 1.57 x 10{sup 7} y) fission product and natural {sup 127}I were measured in the same thyroids. The mass ratios, {sup 129}I/{sup 131}I were calculated to the date of the Chernobyl accident and they ranged between 13 and 71. These ratios are compared to the expected ratios within an operating nuclear reactor during 2 y of operation, where the {sup 129}I/{sup 131}I{sup -1} ratio never exceeded 30. The observed ratio of {sup 129}I to natural {sup 127}I in thyroids ranged from 5 to 200 times the ratio before the accident, except that the Norwegian thyroids had {sup 129}I/{sup 127}I ratios which were less than the ratios of pre-Chernobyl thyroids from Ulm. These studies show the {sup 129}I and {sup 131}I from the Chernobyl accident were accumulated with natural {sup 127}I in animal thyroids but the isotope ratios, calculated to the release date, had wide ranges. The {sup 131}I radioactive exposure might be estimated from a fission product mixture by measuring {sup 129}I in thyroids long after the exposure to {sup 131}I, but the results would probably show a wide range of possibilities. The determining variables should be evaluated. We know of no previous data regarding both {sup 131}I and {sup 129}I in thyroid glands during the first 3 mo after the Chernobyl accident. 16 refs., 1 fig., 2 tabs.
- OSTI ID:
- 589109
- Journal Information:
- Health Physics, Vol. 73, Issue 4; Other Information: PBD: Oct 1997
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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