title: Ingested soil as a source of 137Cs to ruminants.
abstract: Ingestion of soil has been identified as a potentially important source of radionuclides, particularly to grazing ruminants. Soil artificially contaminated with radiocaesium was administered orally each day for 33 days to Bergamasca sheep and the transfer to milk measured. Two soil types were used, with a clay content of 11% and 16%, respectively. Transfer coefficient (fm) values to sheep milk, calculated at the equilibrium (period from 7th to 21st day after soil administration), were 3.72 x 10(-4) days l-1 (S.D. = 7.2 x 10(-5) days l-1) and 6.11 x 10(-4) days l-1 (S.D. = 9.1 x 10(-5) days l-1), respectively for the two soils. These low values indicate that radiocaesium is not removed from the binding sites on the clay minerals in the gut of the sheep.
authors.affiliation: ENEA-DISP, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Belli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blasi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Capra
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Drigo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Menegon
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Piasentier
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Sansone
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D005260:Female; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D008892:Milk / Q000737:chemistry*; D012756:Sheep; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics
chemical_list: D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive