title: European roe deer antlers as an environmental archive for fallout (236)U and (239)Pu.
abstract: Anthropogenic (236)U and (239)Pu were measured in European roe deer antlers hunted between 1955 and 1977 which covers and extends beyond the period of intensive nuclear weapons testing (1954-1962). The antlers were hunting trophies, and hence the hunting area, the year of shooting and the approximate age of each animal is given. Uranium and plutonium are known to deposit in skeletal tissue. Since antler histology is similar to bone, both elements were expected in antlers. Furthermore, roe deer shed their antlers annually, and hence antlers may provide a time-resolved environmental archive for fallout radionuclides. The radiochemical procedure is based on a Pu separation step by anion exchange (Dowex 1 × 8) and a subsequent U purification by extraction chromatography using UTEVA(®). The samples were measured by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry at the VERA facility (University of Vienna). In addition to the (236)U and (239)Pu concentrations, the (240)Pu/(239)Pu isotopic ratios were determined with a mean value of 0.172 ± 0.023 which is in agreement with the ratio of global fallout (∼0.18). Rather high (236)U/(238)U ratios of the order of 10(-6) were observed. These measured ratios, where the (236)U arises only from global fallout, have implications for the use of the (236)U/(238)U ratio as a fingerprint for nuclear accidents or releases from nuclear facilities. Our investigations have shown the potential to use antlers as a temporally resolved archive for the uptake of actinides from the environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria; Department of Nuclear Physics, Australian National University, Building 57, Garran Road, ACT 2601, Australia. Electronic address: michaela.froehlich@anu.edu.au.
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Froehlich
authors.affiliation: VERA Institute, Faculty of Physics, Isotope Research, University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 17, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Steier
authors.affiliation: Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wallner
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Physics, Australian National University, Building 57, Garran Road, ACT 2601, Australia.
authors.forename: L K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Fifield
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000999:Antlers / Q000737:chemistry*; D003670:Deer / Q000378:metabolism*; D005858:Germany; D008297:Male; D054043:Nuclear Weapons; D011005:Plutonium / Q000032:analysis*; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D011847:Radioactive Fallout / Q000032:analysis*; D012621:Seasons; D014501:Uranium / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D011847:Radioactive Fallout; D014501:Uranium; D011005:Plutonium
keywords: (236)U; (240)Pu/(239)Pu isotopic ratio; AMS; Accelerator Mass Spectrometry; environmental archive