Document Details

COMPARATIVE CONCENTRATIONS OF CESIUM-137, STRONIUM-90, PLUTONIUM-239, 240 AND AMERICIUM-241 IN TISSUES OF FISH FROM THE MARSHALL ISLANDS AND CALCULATED DOSE COMMITMENTS FROM THEIR CONSUMPTION

NOSHKIN, V E [LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY]; WONG, K M [LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY]; EAGLE, R J [LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY]; ROBISON, W L [LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY]

BODY BURDEN; STRONTIUM 90; CESIUM 137; TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS; CONTAMINATION; AMERICIUM 241; PLUTONIUM 239; PLUTONIUM 240; RESEARCH PROGRAMS; RADIOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS; FISHES; SAMPLING; GAMMA SPECTROSCOPY; INTAKE; MUSCLES; CALCULATION METHODS; SURFACE WATERS; RADIOACTIVITY

Location - DOE/NNSA NUCLEAR TESTING ARCHIVE Address - P.O. Box 98521 City - Las Vegas State - NV Zip - 89193-8521 Phone - (702)794-5106 Fax - (702)862-4240 Email - NTA@NV.DOE.GOV

REPORT

1985 Feb 28

Unknown

0059

NV0049202

Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

1994 Aug 26

2003 Sep 18

BODY BURDENS OF STRONTIUM-90, CESIUM-137, AND THE TRANSURANICS IN BOTT OM FEEDING FISH FROM MARSHALL ISLAND ATOLLS ARE DERIVED, IN PART, FROM THE QUANTITIES OF THE RADIONUCLIDES IRREVERSIBLY FIXED TO INGESTED CAR BONATE MATERIAL. RADIONUCLIDE CONCENTRATION FACTORS FOR DIFFERENT SPE CIES OF FISH ARE CHARACTERIZED BY RELATING TISSUE CONCENTRATIONS TO TH OSE IN FILTERED SEAWATER. FOR BOTTOM FEEDING FISH, THE VALUES ARE LOW ER AT THE LESSER CONTAMINATED ATOLLS THAN THOSE VALUES DETERMINED FOR THE MORE CONTAMINATED ATOLLS. THESE FISH HAVE THE ASBILITY TO LOWER T HEIR GUT (P)H DURING FEEDING. WHEN THIS OCCURS, THERE IS A DISSOLUTIO N OF A FRACTION OF THE INGESTED CALCIUM CARBONATE CONTAINING RADIONUCL IDES THAT WERE FIXED OR FUSED INTERNALLY TO THE MATERIAL DURING NUCLEA R TESTING. FRACTIONS OF THE RADIONUCLIDES RELEASED DURING SOLUTION OF THE CARBONATE MATRIX ARE AVAILABLE FOR PASSAGE ACROSS THE GUT WALL. A MOUNTS RELEASED TO SOLUTION IN THE GUT ARE PROPORTIONAL TO THE LEVELS OF CONTAMINATION AT THE DIFFERENT ATOLLS. CONCENTRATION FACTORS FOR H IGHER TROPHIC LEVEL SPECIES, WHICH DO NOT RELY ON SEDIMENTS OR CORAL F OR THEIR SOURCE OF FOOD, SHOW NO SUCH TRENDS BETWEEN DIFFERENTLY CONT AMINATED ATOLLS. A TWO-SOURCE MODEL USED TO COMPUTE THE INTERNAL CONC ENTRATIONS IS DESCRIBED. THE MODEL ASSUMES RADIONUCLIDES ARE DERIVED FROM THE "EQUILIBRIUM LABELLED ENVIRONMENT" AND THE SEDIMENTARY "BOU ND" SOURCE TERM. AMERICIUM-241 SEEMS TO BE MORE BIOLOGICALLY AVAILABLE THAN PLUTONIUM- 239,240 TO HIGHER TROPHIC LEVEL SPECIES FROM THE LAGOONS, WHEREAS AT LOWER TROPHIC LEVELS THE OPPOSITE SEEMS TO BE THE CASE. CESIUM-137 IS PRESENTLY THE LARGEST CONTRIBUTOR TO THE SMALL RADIOLOGICAL DOSE TO MAN FROM THE MARINE FISH PATHWAY, WITH THE TRANSURANICS CONTRIBUTING F ROM 2-30 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL DOSE. THERE IS LITTLE REASON TO SINGLE OUT THE TRANSURANICS AS POTENTIAL HAZARDS IN THE MARINE FISH INGESTION PATHWAY AT THESE ATOLLS, UNLESS PARTS OF THE FISH THAT ARE NOT NORMAL LY CONSUMED BY MAN ARE INCLUDED IN THE HUMAN DIET.