et al., 1976c; and Smith, 1976b}.
grazing the Area 13 range were sacrificed, necropsied, and sampled in
January and March of 1976.
However, data from these last samples are
not yet available, so the following discussion will consist largely of
a review of data previously available.
:
3
3
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up the bulk of the diet during the rest of the year.
The plutonium
activities measured in rumen contents were higher when Furotia lanata was
the preferred shrub species.
It is thought that this observed increase
in actinide concentration with a concurrent decrease in solubility is
related to the retention of soil particles by the involucres of Eurotia
lanata plants which are in a reproductive phase during the fall.
@
Els
of animals from the inner compound (Barth, 1975; Barth, 1976).
Jee
e
vi so
Sef
.
In general, the plutontum-239 activities measured in tissues on a wet
weight basis approximated a log normal distribution and fell within
the following categories:
<1
<5
<10
<20
<100
<500
pci/kg
- muscle, blood serum, blood cells, whole fetus
pCi/kg
- ~kidney
pCi/kg
- Liver
pCi/kg
pCi/kg
pCi/kg
(less than 5 mos)
- bone, gonads
Those cattle samples that were environmentally contaminated were distributed as follows:
408
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FEE ES
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FAS
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8
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Sampling Statistics - Area 13 Beef Animals
409
32
eB
5
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BoE Et
2
2
2 +2 g
Ayo 2ow
sa =: 2 DGG
a 8 5 =
ge 7
FFF RET EE Gaze
Table 1.
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ww ©
oe
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65
68
ei[?
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ts
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5 5 5 € &
ms
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sEl>
342
z 8
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z
202 bE
£ 2 € #S
3
&
fos
7 2 2
4
5
per 5S
,
4
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££ 2
Boe ok
oe
fog
acc
8
ad
® ER
=
2
eae
f&
2
Beg
8
ee
sit
By
2 3 Eat
Ss
=
8
= 8 ee &
3
wa
—
- lungs
—- tracheobronchial lymph nodes
z 3
& 2 EF E
6
the longest period of time (636 days) in the outer compound.
©
=
23
F =
8
The next highest concentrations were found in an animal that had grazed
6
; EG
28 2
Es €
fNsis
The highest actinide concentrations in tissues were reported from a cow
which grazed the inner compound (the area of highest contamination).
Aas
;
3
&
died during the 3-year study period.
lost to coyote predators.
32
oof
f
2a
f£ fF
Be G
fe FR
Eight study goats were
mp
£:f 22
22h: 3
« £ F £ &
FF
ef fF
mined as the carcass was destroyed by scavengers.
z-
5
g
yt
2 2
fig
ek
Eo.
9 E464?
SE
Baio
sf#le
Cause of this death was not deter-
3
gas
=
No significant lestons relating to plutonium exposure have thug far been
found upon necropsy or histopathological examination.
Reproduction has
ee/$
ze
‘
.
:
&
The natural mortality rate was low as only one aged cow
7°
F
g]aos ¢- 7
“¢
.
a ©
cos
z
ft;
been normal.
3
oe
: 5
fos
to:
of
#
2
«
Results to date from in vitro rumen digestion studies indicate increased
solubility of the plutonium and americium-24! found in rumen contents
from animals grazing the outer compound versus that found in the ingesta
2?
es
EE
giz
aye
63
oo
|
|
:
:
2
3
ipo GF oP
Ra
Relationships were noted between the seasonal variations observed in the
botanical makeup and the actinide content of rumen ingesta,
Grasses were
preferred in the late spring and early summer months, while shrubs made
gE
eq?
b
|
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
A
a
!
As shown in Table 1, the last cattle
es
=——
Estimated.
Details on the experimental design and the analytical data from the beef
tissues and rumen ingesta samples collected prior to 1976 have been
discussed previously (Smith, 1974; Smith, 1975; Smith 1976a; Smith