Comparative uptake of uranium, thorium, and plutonium by biota inhabiting a contaminated Tennessee floodplain

Journal Article · Wed Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1981 · J. Environ. Qual.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq1981.00472425001000020017x· OSTI ID:6584770

Garten, Jr, C T; Bondietti, E A; Walker, R L

The uptake of /sup 238/U, /sup 232/Th, and /sup 239/Pu from soil by fescue, grasshoppers, and small mammals was compared at the contaminated White Oak Creek floodplain in East Tennessee. Comparisons of actinide uptake were based on analyses of radionuclide ratios (U/Pu and Th/Pu) in soil and biota. U:Pu ratios in small mammal carcasses (shrews, mice, and rats) and bone samples from larger mammals (rabbit, woodchuck, opossum, and raccoon) were significantly greater (P less than or equal to 0.05) than U/Pu ratios in soil (based on 8M HNO/sub 3/ extractable). There was no significant difference between Th/Pu ratios in animals and soil. The order of actinide accumulation by biota from the site relative to contaminated soil was U > Th approx. = Pu.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 6584770
• Journal Information: J. Environ. Qual.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Environ. Qual.; (United States) Vol. 10:2; ISSN JEVQA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ANIMALS
ARTHROPODS
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
CONTAMINATION
DATA
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ECOSYSTEMS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GRASSHOPPERS
HEAVY NUCLEI
INFORMATION
INSECTS
INVERTEBRATES
ISOTOPES
MAMMALS
MARSUPIALS
MASS TRANSFER
MICE
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
ORTHOPTERA
PLANTS
PLUTONIUM 239
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
RABBITS
RADIOACTIVITY
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE KINETICS
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
RATS
RODENTS
SHREWS
SOILS
SOUTHEAST REGION
TENNESSEE
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS
THORIUM 232
THORIUM ISOTOPES
UPTAKE
URANIUM 238
URANIUM ISOTOPES
USA
VERTEBRATES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES