Radionuclide analyses of Saskatchewan caribou, 1995. Final report
Lichens, the main winter forage for caribou, adsorb radionuclides from air more efficiently than other plants. Caribou, in turn, are the main dietary staple for northern Saskatchewan residents. Uranium mining in the Wollaston Lake area of northern Saskatchewan has prompted a need to assess environmental impacts on both human and non-human biota in the area. The presence of caribou in the Wollaston Lake area in early 1995 allowed measurement of uranium and its decay products in these animals while on winter range relatively close to uranium mines. This report presents results of analyses of radionuclide levels in a variety of tissues from 18 caribou collected from the area in March 1995. Data are used to describe food chain transfer from rumen contents to caribou, and are compared with previous data on caribou in the Northwest Territories. The radionuclides investigated included uranium, radium-226, polonium-210, lead-210, and gamma emitters.
- Research Organization:
- Saskatchewan Health, Saskatchewan Environment and Resource Management, Regina, Saskatchewan (Canada)
- OSTI ID:
- 650007
- Report Number(s):
- MIC--98-05016/XAB
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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