title: Accumulation of plutonium in mammalian wildlife tissues following dispersal by accidental-release tests.
abstract: We examined the distribution of plutonium (Pu) in the tissues of mammalian wildlife inhabiting the relatively undisturbed, semi-arid former Taranaki weapons test site, Maralinga, Australia. The accumulation of absorbed Pu was highest in the skeleton (83% ± 6%), followed by muscle (10% ± 9%), liver (6% ± 6%), kidneys (0.6% ± 0.4%), and blood (0.2%). Pu activity concentrations in lung tissues were elevated relative to the body average. Foetal transfer was higher in the wildlife data than in previous laboratory studies. The amount of Pu in the gastrointestinal tract was highly elevated relative to that absorbed within the body, potentially increasing transfer of Pu to wildlife and human consumers that may ingest gastrointestinal tract organs. The Pu distribution in the Maralinga mammalian wildlife generally aligns with previous studies related to environmental exposure (e.g. Pu in humans from worldwide fallout), but contrasts with the partitioning models that have traditionally been used for human worker-protection purposes (approximately equal deposition in bone and liver) which appear to under-predict the skeletal accumulation in environmental exposure conditions.
authors.affiliation: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Locked Bag 2001, Kirrawee DC, NSW, 2232, Australia. Electronic address: mathew.johansen@ansto.gov.au.
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Johansen
authors.affiliation: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Locked Bag 2001, Kirrawee DC, NSW, 2232, Australia. Electronic address: david.child@ansto.gov.au.
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Child
authors.affiliation: Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA. Electronic address: smitemil@onid.oregonstate.edu.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Caffrey
authors.affiliation: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Locked Bag 2001, Kirrawee DC, NSW, 2232, Australia. Electronic address: emma.davis@ansto.gov.au.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Locked Bag 2001, Kirrawee DC, NSW, 2232, Australia. Electronic address: jennifer.harrison@ansto.gov.au.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.affiliation: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Locked Bag 2001, Kirrawee DC, NSW, 2232, Australia. Electronic address: michael.hotchkis@ansto.gov.au.
authors.forename: M A C
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hotchkis
authors.affiliation: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Locked Bag 2001, Kirrawee DC, NSW, 2232, Australia. Electronic address: timothy.payne@ansto.gov.au.
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Payne
authors.affiliation: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Locked Bag 2001, Kirrawee DC, NSW, 2232, Australia; Institute of Resource Ecology, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany. Electronic address: a.ikeda@hzdr.de.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ikeda-Ohno
authors.affiliation: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Locked Bag 2001, Kirrawee DC, NSW, 2232, Australia. Electronic address: sangeeth.thiruvoth@ansto.gov.au.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thiruvoth
authors.affiliation: Austral Radioecology, Sydney, Australia. Electronic address: j.twining@ausradeco.com.au.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Twining
authors.affiliation: NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster, LA1 4AP, UK. Electronic address: nab@ceh.ac.uk.
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Beresford
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008322:Mammals / Q000378:metabolism*; D011005:Plutonium / Q000378:metabolism*; D000069079:Radiation Exposure; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D011847:Radioactive Fallout; D013021:South Australia
chemical_list: D011847:Radioactive Fallout; D011005:Plutonium
keywords: Bone; Liver; Particle; Partitioning; Plutonium; Wildlife