Plutonium in biota from an east Tennessee floodplain forest

Journal Article · Thu Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1978 · Health Physics: the Radiation Safety Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1097/00004032-197806000-00021· OSTI ID:989659

Garten, Jr, Charles T ^[1]; Dahlman, R C ^[2]

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1. ORNL
2. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

Plutonium 239, 240 concentrations were measured in biota from a 30-yr-old contaminated floodplain forest in Tennessee. Concentration ratios relative to soil, for plutonium in litter, invertebrate cryptozoans, herbaceous ground vegetation, orthoptera and small mammals were approximately 10-1, 10-2, 10-3, 10-3, and 10-4, respectively. Concentration ratios (CR) for plutonium in biota from the floodplain forest are less than CR values from other contaminated ecosystems in the USA. Presumably, this is due to humid conditions and greater rainfall which minimize resuspension as a physical transport mechanism to biota. Plutonium and radiocesium concentrations are correlated in biota from the forest at Oak Ridge and also from Mortandad Canyon in New Mexico. The cause of the covariance between concentrations of these elements is unknown. Nevertheless, the existence of these relationships suggests that it is possible to predict plutonium in biota from radiocesium concentrations when both nuclides have a common origin and occur together in a contaminated terrestrial environment.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL); Oak Ridge National Environmental Research Park
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 989659
• Journal Information: Health Physics: the Radiation Safety Journal, Journal Name: Health Physics: the Radiation Safety Journal Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 34
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CONCENTRATION RATIO
FOREST LITTER
FORESTS
INVERTEBRATES
MAMMALS
NEW MEXICO
OAK RIDGE
ORTHOPTERA
PLANTS
PLUTONIUM 239
PLUTONIUM 240
UPTAKE