Radiological survey of plants, animals, and soil in micronesia

Technical Report · Fri Oct 31 23:00:00 EST 1975

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6384752· OSTI ID:6384752

Nelson, V. A.

In 1974 the Laboratory of Radiation Ecology began a program to determine the radionuclides found in foods, plants, animals, and soils of the Central Pacific. As part of this program the present study was undertaken to determine radionuclides found in the common foods and soils in areas of Micronesia other than those areas receiving local fallout from the test sites at Bikini or Enewetak atolls. Areas sampled in 1975 were Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands, Truk and Ponape in the Caroline Islands, Guam in the Marianas Islands, and Koror and Babelthaup in the Palau Islands. All samples were analyzed for gamma-emitting radionuclides while some were also analyzed for /sup 90/Sr of /sup 239/ /sup 240/Pu. Results of the analyses indicate that naturally occurring /sup 40/K is the predominant radionuclide in the biological samples. Cesium-137 in amounts less than 1 pCi/g (dry) was the only fallout radionuclide detected in most of the biological samples. Soil samples usually contained /sup 90/Sr, /sup 137/Cs, /sup 238/U, and /sup 239/Pu, while soil from Truk, Palau, and Ponape also contained isotopes of radium and thorium. Soil from Guam also contained /sup 210/Pb and /sup 235/U in addition to the above radionuclides. Considering only the fallout radionuclides, the values for /sup 90/Sr, /sup 137/Cs, and /sup 239/ /sup 240/Pu in samples from Guam, Palau, Truk, Ponape, and Majuro are less than the values for these radionuclides in similar samples from atolls such as Utirik, Rongerik, and Ailinginae in the northern Marshall Islands, and are much less than values of these radionuclides in samples from Bikini and Rongelap atolls.

• Research Organization: Washington Univ., Seattle (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6384752
• Report Number(s): NVO-0269-35
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

510301* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- Soil-- (-1987)
510302 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- Terrestrial Ecosystems & Food Chains-- (-1987)
520302 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- Aquatic Ecosystems & Food Chains-- (-1987)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560172 -- Radiation Effects-- Nuclide Kinetics & Toxicology-- Animals-- (-1987)
560173 -- Radiation Effects-- Nuclide Kinetics & Toxicology-- Plants-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
ARTHROPODS
BANANAS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-PLUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CESIUM 137
CESIUM ISOTOPES
COBALT 60
COBALT ISOTOPES
COCONUTS
CRUSTACEANS
DATA
DATA FORMS
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FALLOUT
FALLOUT DEPOSITS
FISHES
FOOD
FRUITS
HEAVY NUCLEI
INFORMATION
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
INVERTEBRATES
ISOLATED VALUES
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LEAD 210
LEAD ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MICRONESIA
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
MONITORING
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
OCEANIA
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
PAPAYAS
PLUTONIUM 239
PLUTONIUM 240
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
POTASSIUM 40
POTASSIUM ISOTOPES
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIOACTIVITY
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIUM 210
RADIUM 226
RADIUM ISOTOPES
ROOTS
SOILS
STRONTIUM 90
STRONTIUM ISOTOPES
THORIUM 228
THORIUM 232
THORIUM ISOTOPES
URANIUM 235
URANIUM 238
URANIUM ISOTOPES
VERTEBRATES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES