Re: Re[2]: CS-137 in animals

[Bob Hearn <rah@america.net>]

In the early 70's while setting up whole body counters in the heydey of
power reacotr construction, I remember initial runs at a site in south
Georgia exhibiting internal burdens of Cs-137, at first leading to suspicion
of leaky calibration sources or other malfunction, but eventually leading to
a revelation of a diet high in game after the subject's brother displayed a
similar level, and only a few additional sporadic occurences in other
subjects with similar ingestions.  They learned that we had a cesium belt
along with the bible belt, and later Stu Farber found out that "hot news"
was as apt to be related to the Cs-137 content in the newspaper from wood
pulp as from informational merit.

The net significance of the presence of this radionuclide, readily
observable due to its 30-year halflife and 662 keV gamma emission, may be
compared to a poisous plant of striking appearance, interesting to view and
exercise our senses, and relatively benign.

Bob Hearn
rah@america.net

At 04:47 PM 11/7/96 -0600, you wrote:
>     Same thing here in Idaho.  In fact, of the game sampling results I
>     recall, the highest Cs-137 level was in a pronghorn fawn of that year
>     which was hit well off the INEL.  (Samples were collected from
>     roadkill rather than hunter's kills)
>
>     Dave Neil
>     neildm@inel.gov
>
>
>______________________________ Reply Separator
_________________________________
>Subject: Re: CS-137 in animals
>Author:  RADSAFE (INELMAIL.RADSAFE) at _EMS
>Date:    11/7/96 6:29 AM
>
>
>I don't know about the deer around Boston, but deer in the southeastern U.S.
>have Cs-137 from the above ground weapons test in the western U.S.  It is
>apparently a combination of the weather patterns carrying fallout, potassium
>deficiency in the soil, and the deer's diet of lichen, mushroom,
>honeysuckle, etc.  This was reported in Health Physics several years ago.
>>
>>     "ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP ASKS HUNTERS TO SEND DEER PARTS"
>>     BOSTON GLOBE ONLINE, 11/4/96, Associated Press
>>
>
>>
>James R. Watts, Ph. D.
>Building 2008, MS 6041
>Oak Ridge National Lab
>Oak Ridge, Tn 37831-6041
>phone: 423-574-7464
>FAX: 423-576-1447
>email: w2t@ornl.gov
>
>