Bioaccumulation and distribution of /sup 95m/Tc in an experimental freshwater pond
An acute release of /sup 95m/Tc was made to a small experimental freshwater pond to determine the behavior of technetium in a freshwater ecosystem. The objectives of the study were (1) to determine the distribution of /sup 95m/Tc in the components of the ecosystem and (2) to determine the concentration in freshwater biota. Prior to the release of /sup 95m/Tc, the pond was stocked with aquatic macrophytes, fish, and invertebrates. All components of the pond were sampled for a period of 37 d. Analyses of filtered and unfiltered water samples showed that /sup 95m/Tc did not sorb significantly to particulates suspended in the water but remained dissolved. Sediments accumulated /sup 95m/Tc slowly as the experiment progressed. In the biota, periphyton accumulated /sup 95m/Tc rapidly, reaching the highest concentration (3482 dpm/g dry wt) 4 h after the release and maintaining a relatively high concentration throughout the experiment. Fish and invertebrates accumulated /sup 95m/Tc gradually. Elimination studies and tissue analyses showed that a large percentage of the body burden was in the digestive system of all fish, suggesting that fish were accumulating /sup 95m/Tc through the food chain. Biological half-lives determined from elimination studies for carp (Cyprinus carpio), mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis), and snails (Helisoma sp.) were 2.5, 4.3, and 21.3 d, respectively. Calculated concentration factors for the same species were 11 for carp, 75 for mosquito fish, and 121 for snails. The estimated size of the biomass components in the ecosystem in descending order were: periphyton, macrophytes, invertebrates, fish, and algae. Based on biomass estimates and concentrations of the /sup 95m/Tc in the aquatic biota, approximately 1% of the /sup 95m/Tc accumulated in the biota.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-26
- OSTI ID:
- 6456040
- Report Number(s):
- IAEA-SM-257/41; CONF-810722-4; ON: DE81027118; TRN: 81-014203
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: International symposium on migration in the terrestrial environment of long-lived radionuclides from the nuclear fuel cycle, Knoxville, TN, USA, 27 Jul 1981
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
TECHNETIUM 99
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIONUCLIDE KINETICS
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
ALGAE
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
BIOLOGICAL HALF-LIFE
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FISHES
INVERTEBRATES
PLANKTON
PLANTS
PONDS
SEDIMENTS
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
DATA
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ECOSYSTEMS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
INFORMATION
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
MASS TRANSFER
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
RADIOISOTOPES
TECHNETIUM ISOTOPES
VERTEBRATES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
520302* - Environment
Aquatic- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- Aquatic Ecosystems & Food Chains- (-1987)