[sup 137]Cs levels in deer following the Three Mile Island accident

Journal Article · Tue Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993 · Health Physics; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1097/00004032-199306000-00015· OSTI ID:6525824

Field, R W ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City (United States)

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virgianus) tongues were assayed to assess whether or not significant widespread [sup 137]Cs contamination occurred in the vicinity of Three Mile Island Nuclear Station as a result of the 1979 accident. White-tailed deer tongues harvested from 10 Pennsylvania counties more than 88 km away from Three Mile Island had significantly higher [sup 137]Cs levels than deer tongues harvested from counties surrounding the nuclear plant. The mean deer tongue [sup 137]Cs levels found in Pennsylvania white-tailed deer were lower than [sup 137]Cs levels found in deer from other parts of the US sampled shortly after culmination of major atmospheric nuclear testing. These findings support the conclusions of previous studies suggesting that only minimal quantities of [sup 137]Cs escaped from the damaged Three Mile Island plant after the accident.

• OSTI ID: 6525824
• Journal Information: Health Physics; (United States), Journal Name: Health Physics; (United States) Vol. 64:6; ISSN HLTPAO; ISSN 0017-9078
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560101 -- Biomedical Sciences
Applied Studies-- Radiation Effects-- Dosimetry & Monitoring-- (1992-)
560150* -- Radiation Effects on Animals
61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ACCIDENTS
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ANIMALS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
BODY
CESIUM 137
CESIUM ISOTOPES
CONTAMINATION
DEER
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
FALLOUT
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
MAMMALS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORAL CAVITY
ORGANS
PENNSYLVANIA
POWER REACTORS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTORS
REGIONAL ANALYSIS
RUMINANTS
THERMAL REACTORS
THREE MILE ISLAND-2 REACTOR
TONGUE
USA
VERTEBRATES
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES