title: [Thorium amd uranium in food of animal origin].
abstract: The thorium and uranium contents (alpha-activities of the natural isotopes Th-228, Th-230, Th-232, U-234, and U-238) in several samples of the meat of domestic animals, venison, and cold-blooded animals are reported. The activity of thorium and of uranium was surprisingly constant in lean meat of all the animals tested. The average activity of the main isotope of thorium was 1-2 mBq Th-232/kg fresh meat (FM) and of uranium 21-34 mBq U-238/kg FM. The lowest and highest values observed were 0.4 and 2.7 mBq Th-232/kg FM, and 9 and 41 mBq U-238/kg FM, respectively. In some internal organs distinctly higher values were obtained: 8.6 mBq Th-232/kg in cattle bones, and 51 mBq U-238/kg in hog kidneys. The highest content of U-238, 84 mBq/kg, was observed in cuttlefish (whole animal). In lean meat, the activity of the daughter isotope Th-228 was on average (by factor) two to four times higher than that of the parent isotope Th-232. In cattle bones, and in fish samples including bones, the factor was 20 and 26, respectively. The activity of the isotope Th-230 ranged between Th-232 and Th-228. In all samples investigated, the daughter isotope U-234 showed an excess activity of 19 +/- 7% as compared to the parent isotope U-238. The above nuclides were determined alpha-spectrometrically using Th-229 for thorium, and U-232 for uranium as internal standard.
authors.affiliation: Bundesforschungsanstalt für Ernährung, Zentrallaboratorium für Isotopentechnik, Karlsruhe, Bundesrepublik Deutschland.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Frindik
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D000835:Animals, Wild; D004531:Eggs / Q000032:analysis; D005399:Fishes; D005507:Food Contamination, Radioactive; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis*; D012758:Shellfish; D013910:Thorium / Q000032:analysis*; D014501:Uranium / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014501:Uranium; D013910:Thorium
vernacular_title: Thorium und Uran in Lebensmitteln tierischer Herkunft.