Laboratory evaluation of interception and translocation of 131I in fenugreek and okra plants.
The work reported here deals with the study of interception and translocation of airborne 131I in fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) and okra (Hibiscus esculentus), two very common vegetables in India. Activity was injected into the experimental chamber in the form of iodide aerosols having a size distribution of 0.3 to 5.0 microns (AMAD). Samples of plants were collected over a period of a few days at different time intervals after injection of the aerosols. Evaluation of interception with deposition and translocation of 131I was done from the activity measured in air and in plant parts. For the deposition factor, the values are 1.22 m3 kg-1 for fenugreek leaves, and 1.49 m3 kg-1 for the plant as a whole. For okra plants these values are 0.02 and 0.16 m3 kg-1 in edible okra and leaves, respectively. For the okra plant as a whole, the value is 0.19 m3 kg-1. The translocation factors vary from 0.62 to 0.86 and 0.47 to 0.87 for leaves and stem, respectively, in the case of fenugreek plants. For okra plants, the translocation factor varies from 0.21 to 0.82, 0.53 to 0.93, and 0.42 to 0.81 in edible okra, leaves, and stems, respectively.
Singhal
R K
RK
Environmental Studies Section/Health Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Bombay, India.
Narayanan
U
U
Bhat
I S
IS
D000336:Aerosols; D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive; D007194:India; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000737:chemistry; D014675:Vegetables / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
D000336:Aerosols; D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes