Cesium-137 levels detected in Georgia otters
| Autor: | James H. Jenkins, R. S. Halbrook |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 1988 |
| Předmět: |
Water Pollutants
Radioactive Georgia Coastal plain Health Toxicology and Mutagenesis Carnivora Wildlife Toxicology Food chain Species Specificity Abundance (ecology) Environmental monitoring Animals Water Pollutants River otter geography.river Radionuclide geography geography.geographical_feature_category Chemistry Ecology Muscles Fishes General Medicine Pollution Cesium Radioisotopes Energy source Environmental Monitoring Otters |
| Zdroj: | Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 41:765-769 |
| ISSN: | 1432-0800 0007-4861 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/bf02021031 |
| Popis: | Beginning in the 1940's and continuing through the 50's and early 60's, nuclear devices were tested by aerial detonation in the United States and other countries around the world. Cesium-137 (/sup 137/Cs) is one of the most important radionuclide by-products due to its abundance and slow decay (30-year half-life). The uptake of /sup 137/Cs in animal tissue is the result of its similarity to potassium. The somatic and genetic effects of /sup 137/Cs, along with its effect on reproductive cells, can pose great hazards to wildlife species. A reported buildup of /sup 137/Cs in white-tailed deer in the lower coastal plain of Georgia during the 1960's was followed by a gradual decline during the 1970's. Although numerous studies have involved terrestrial mammals of Georgia, few have involved aquatic mammals such as the river otter. With continued atmospheric testing by some foreign countries and the increased use of nuclear power as an energy source, there is a need for continued monitoring of radionuclides in wildlife to ascertain the quality of the environment. This study was initiated as part of an overall study of environmental pollutants in the river otter of Georgia and deals with analysis of the /sup 137/Cs accumulations inmore » this species.« less |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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