title: Cesium radioactivity in peripheral blood is linearly correlated to that in skeletal muscle: analyses of cattle within the evacuation zone of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
abstract: The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP) released a large amount of radioactive substances into the environment. Furthermore, beef contaminated with radioactive cesium above the 500 Bq/kg safety standard was circulated in the food chain in 2011. Japanese consumers remain concerned about the safety of radioactively contaminated food. In our previous study, we detected a linear correlation between radioactive cesium ((137) Cs) activity in blood and muscle around 500 to 2500 Bq/kg in cattle. However, it was unclear whether the correlation was maintained at a lower radioactivity close to the current safety standard of 100 Bq/kg. In this study, we evaluated 17 cattle in the FNPP evacuation zone that had a (137) Cs blood level less than 10 Bq/kg. The results showed a linear correlation between blood (137) Cs and muscle (137) Cs (Y = 28.0X, R(2)  = 0.590) at low radioactivity concentration, indicating that cesium radioactivity in the muscle can be estimated from blood radioactivity. This technique would be useful in detecting high-risk cattle before they enter the market, and will contribute to food safety.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomokazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kino
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamashiro
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Yoshinaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Mirei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chiba
authors.forename: Shintaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Kazuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Yoshikazu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kuwahara
authors.forename: Motoko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morimoto
authors.forename: Hisashi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shinoda
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hiji
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sekine
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukumoto
authors.forename: Emiko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Isogai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle / Q000378:metabolism*; D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes / Q000378:metabolism*; D005507:Food Contamination, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis* / Q000517:prevention & control; D059022:Food Safety; D062406:Fukushima Nuclear Accident; D064088:Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points / Q000379:methods; D007564:Japan; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis* / Q000592:standards; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism*; D011848:Radioactive Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*; D012306:Risk
chemical_list: D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D011848:Radioactive Pollutants
keywords: Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant; food safety; radioactive cesium; radioactive substances