title: Absorption of radiocaesium by sheep after ingestion of contaminated soils.
abstract: The absorption of 137Cs by sheep following ingestion of contaminated soil was studied using an established dual isotope method. Two agricultural soils were studied: an alluvial gley contaminated by discharges to the sea from the Sellafield Reprocessing Plant, and a lowland organic soil that had been artificially contaminated. Values of the true absorption coefficient of radiocaesium of 0.19 +/- 0.03 and 0.03 +/- 0.01, respectively, were obtained for these soils. This implies that availability of soil-associated radiocaesium for uptake following ingestion is up to about 20% of that when the activity is incorporated in vegetation. These results have been compared to estimates of availability made using an in-vitro approach described previously and found to be in good agreement. However, comparison with in-vitro data obtained for an upland peat indicated that absorption from some upland organic soils could be greater than from the lowland organic soil.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Nutritional Sciences, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Cooke
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Rimmer
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Weekes
authors.forename: B T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Wilkins
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Beresford
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Fenwick
mesh_terms: D000042:Absorption; D000818:Animals; D001682:Biological Availability; D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes / Q000378:metabolism*; D007553:Isotope Labeling; D008297:Male; D012756:Sheep; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive