Cesium-137, 134Cs and 110mAg in lambs grazing pasture in NE Scotland contaminated by Chernobyl fallout. 1989

C J Martin, and B Heaton, and J Thompson
Department of Bio-Medical Physics and Bio-Engineering, Aberdeen University, Foresterhill, Scotland, UK.

The decline in Cs radioisotope levels has been studied in tissues from lambs grazing lowland pasture. The lambs were slaughtered 18 and 115 d after contamination with Chernobyl fallout. During this time the Cs activity decreased to 13% of the initial amount in animals that had continued to graze contaminated pasture and to 3.5% in animals consuming uncontaminated feed. The 137Cs concentration in grass from the field grazed by the lambs decreased with a half-time of 22 d over the period 11-100 d after contamination. The amounts of Cs radionuclides removed from the pasture by the grazing animals amounted to only 0.01% of the total, the rest remaining in the soil, with over 40% in the upper 10 mm. Small amounts of 110mAg, found in grass, declined with a half-time of 8.9 d, and the radionuclide was found to accumulate in liver tissue.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D009688 Nuclear Reactors Devices containing fissionable material in sufficient quantity and so arranged as to be capable of maintaining a controlled, self-sustaining NUCLEAR FISSION chain reaction. They are also known as atomic piles, atomic reactors, fission reactors, and nuclear piles, although such names are deprecated. (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed) Nuclear Reactor,Reactor, Nuclear,Reactors, Nuclear
D011847 Radioactive Fallout The material that descends to the earth or water well beyond the site of a surface or subsurface nuclear explosion. (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Chemical and Technical Terms, 4th ed) Fallout, Radioactive,Fallouts, Radioactive,Radioactive Fallouts
D011868 Radioisotopes Isotopes that exhibit radioactivity and undergo radioactive decay. (From Grant & Hackh's Chemical Dictionary, 5th ed & McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed) Daughter Isotope,Daughter Nuclide,Radioactive Isotope,Radioactive Isotopes,Radiogenic Isotope,Radioisotope,Radionuclide,Radionuclides,Daughter Nuclides,Daugter Isotopes,Radiogenic Isotopes,Isotope, Daughter,Isotope, Radioactive,Isotope, Radiogenic,Isotopes, Daugter,Isotopes, Radioactive,Isotopes, Radiogenic,Nuclide, Daughter,Nuclides, Daughter
D002588 Cesium Radioisotopes Unstable isotopes of cesium that decay or disintegrate emitting radiation. Cs atoms with atomic weights of 123, 125-132, and 134-145 are radioactive cesium isotopes. Radioisotopes, Cesium
D005507 Food Contamination, Radioactive Exposure of FOOD to radioactive substances, distinguishable from FOOD IRRADIATION, a food preservation technique. Contamination, Radioactive Food,Radioactive Food Contamination
D000059 Accidents Unexpected and unintentional events, typically resulting in ACCIDENTAL INJURIES. Accident
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D000821 Animal Feed Foodstuff used especially for domestic and laboratory animals, or livestock. Fodder,Animal Feeds,Feed, Animal,Feeds, Animal,Fodders
D012606 Scotland The most northerly of the four countries of the United Kingdom, occupying about one-third of the island of Great Britain. The capital is Edinburgh.
D012756 Sheep Any of the ruminant mammals with curved horns in the genus Ovis, family Bovidae. They possess lachrymal grooves and interdigital glands, which are absent in GOATS. Ovis,Sheep, Dall,Dall Sheep,Ovis dalli

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