Radioactivity in environmental samples taken in the Sellafield, Ravenglass and Morecambe Bay areas of west Cumbria.
Seaborne sediments deposited in the estuaries of the Esk, Duddon, Leven and Kent have been analysed for fission products and actinides discharged in waste from the Sellafield processing works in west Cumbria, and the values compared with the generally expected values due to fallout from atmospheric nuclear weapons tests. Analyses of tissues from sheep grazing the marshes of these estuaries show that the internal radiation dose of the general public through eating mutton or liver from these animals would be at most a few percent of recommended limits. Analytical data are presented on the actinide content of beef cattle, and on potato crops grown under field conditions; these data show that, as with the sheep data, the radiation dose to the consumer would be small.
Curtis
E J
EJ
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Food Science Division, London, United Kingdom.
Popplewell
D S
DS
Ham
G J
GJ
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D004739:England; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005507:Food Contamination, Radioactive; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis*; D010944:Plants / Q000737:chemistry*; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D012756:Sheep; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*
D011868:Radioisotopes; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive