METHODS
Tissue samples were collected from three cows,
fetus in October 1973;
two calves,
three cows and two fetuses in July 1974;
one cow and two yearling calves in January of 1975.
sampled included three goats,
coyote.
and one
and
Other animals
three foxes, one jackrabbit, and one
The wildlife species are considered to be transitory resi-
dents of the contaminated area.
All animals sampled were necropsied;
selected tissue and organ samples
were collected for actinide analysis and histopathological examination.
Tissues sampled for actinide analyses included bone (femur and vertebra), lung, liver, muscle, tracheo-bronchial lymph nodes, gonads,
blood, kidney, rumen ingesta, and reticulum sediment.
Those collected
for histopathological examination were adrenal, eye, cardiac and
skeletal muscle,
gross lesions.
liver,
lung, gonads, spleen, thyroid, kidney, and
Botanical and radionuclide data obtained from the
rumen ingesta will supplement that collected from the fistulated
steer portion of the study.
In addition to those animals maintained in the contaminated area,
fistulated steers are used as biological samplers to determine grazing
habits as a function of plant availability and season, to estimate
plutonium intake over specified periods of time, to determine the
ratio of the actinide isotopes in the ingesta,
and to estimate the
percentage of digestable nutrients in the ingesta.
At monthly intervals, for the first 6 months of the study, and at
quarterly intervals thereafter, four fistulated steers were placed in
the fenced area of,highest contamination for a 48-hr acclimation
period.
Following the acclimation period, their rumens were emptied
of all ingesta and the steers were allowed to graze for a specific
period of time.
All ingesta from this controlled grazing period were
removed for the various analyses required to meet the objectives of
this portion of the study.
2,
re
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