Uptake and depuration of 131I by the edible periwinkle Littorina littorea: uptake from seawater.
Uptake and depuration experiments for the edible periwinkle Littorina littorea have been performed using 131I-labelled seawater. Throughout the experimental phase the winkles were fed on unlabelled Chondrus crispus. 131I concentrations in winkles during uptake followed linear first-order kinetics with an uptake half-time of 11 days, whereas for depuration a triphasic sequence with biological half-lives of 4, 23 and 56 days was determined. In general, iodine turnover in winkles via labelled seawater appears to be slower than observed for other molluscs (2-3 days). Most of the activity prior to and after depuration is found to be in the shell, with indications that shell and soft parts accumulate and depurate 131I at a similar rate. The operculum displays the highest specific activity of all fractions with a concentration factor of 750 l kg(-1). Concentration factors for whole winkle, shell, soft parts and digestive gland are in the order of 40-60 l kg(-1), higher than the IAEA recommended CF value for iodine in molluscs of 10 l kg(-1). The 131I CF in winkles is closer to that of the conservative radionuclides 99Tc and 137Cs than the CF of the particle reactive radionuclides (239,240)Pu and 241Am.
Vives i Batlle
J
J
Westlakes Research Institute, The Princess Royal Building, Westlakes Science and Technology Park, Moor Row, Cumbria CA24 3LN, UK. Jordi.Vives@westlakes.ac.uk
Wilson
R C
RC
McDonald
P
P
Parker
T G
TG
D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D007700:Kinetics; D012623:Seawater / Q000032:analysis*; D012908:Snails / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D006113:United Kingdom
D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes