Plutonium uptake in wildlife at Maralinga, South Australia

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorJohansen, MPen_AU
dc.contributor.authorChild, DPen_AU
dc.contributor.authorCollins, RNen_AU
dc.contributor.authorDavis, Een_AU
dc.contributor.authorDoering, Cen_AU
dc.contributor.authorHarrison, JJen_AU
dc.contributor.authorHotchkis, MACen_AU
dc.contributor.authorPayne, TEen_AU
dc.contributor.authorMokhber-Shahin, Len_AU
dc.contributor.authorRyan, Ben_AU
dc.contributor.authorThiruvoth, Sen_AU
dc.contributor.authorTwining, JRen_AU
dc.contributor.authorWilsher, KLen_AU
dc.contributor.authorWood, MDen_AU
dc.date.accessioned2024-02-20T03:59:07Zen_AU
dc.date.available2024-02-20T03:59:07Zen_AU
dc.date.issued2012-10-16en_AU
dc.date.statistics2022-02-02en_AU
dc.description.abstractThis study examined accumulation of plutonium (Pu) in wildlife at Maralinga, South Australia, where a 1950s series of experiments dispersed unfissioned Pu onto the landscape. The residual Pu concentrations that remain today are lower than the site clean-up level, but are sufficient to provide a rare opportunity to study wildlife organisms that have been exposed to a food web and soils containing elevated Pu. Analysis was by gamma- and alpha- spectroscopy, and by accelerator mass spectrometry at ANSTO. Uptake of Pu was quantified by concentration ratios, defined as average concentration in the whole-organism, to that of their host soil (CRwo-soil). The geometric mean of CRwo-soil values for all organisms was 0.002 (geometric standard deviation – 4.1E00) with mammals<insects<arthropods<reptiles. Within rabbit, activity concentrations of various tissue types ranged from 1.6 to 1700 mBq/kg (with muscle<blood<bone<liver<heart-lung<gastrointestinal tract<skin-fur). The contents within the gastrointestinal tract of rabbit had order-of-magnitude higher Pu concentrations than all organs and tissues indicating most of the ingested Pu is not being absorbed across the intestinal wall. The elevated concentration of Pu in the lung compartment is indicative of an inhalation pathway. Our results add to international data on transfer of Pu to living organisms, and better define accumulation in specific tissues of various organism types within a Pucontaminated natural system. © The Authors.en_AU
dc.identifier.citationJohansen, M. P., Child, D. P., Collins, R. N., Davis, E., Doering, C., Harrison, J. J., Hotchkis, M. A. C., Payne, T. E., Mokhber-Shahin, L., Ryan, B., Thiruvoth, S., Twining, J. R., Wilsher, K., & Wood, M. D. (2012). Plutonium uptake in wildlife at Maralinga, South Australia. Paper presented to the 12th South Pacific Environmental Radioactivity Association Conference (SPERA 2012), Tuesday 16 October – Friday 19 October 2012 Sydney, Australia. Lucas Heights, NSW: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, (pp. 28).en_AU
dc.identifier.pagination28en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttps://apo.ansto.gov.au/handle/10238/15367en_AU
dc.language.isoenen_AU
dc.publisherAustralian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisationen_AU
dc.subjectPlutoniumen_AU
dc.subjectWild animalsen_AU
dc.subjectNuclear test sitesen_AU
dc.subjectSouth Australiaen_AU
dc.subjectAustraliaen_AU
dc.subjectCleaningen_AU
dc.subjectDecontaminationen_AU
dc.subjectFooden_AU
dc.subjectSoilsen_AU
dc.subjectRabbitsen_AU
dc.titlePlutonium uptake in wildlife at Maralinga, South Australiaen_AU
dc.typeBooken_AU
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
SPERA_2012_final abstract_book.pdf
Size:
836.92 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.63 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Conference Publications