13

variation in the concentration factor for plutonium in fish muscle and bone

tissues for species from different trophic levels or global locations.
Rockfish from the area near the Farallon Islands collected in 1977
contained 2394240, associated with the muscle and bone at concentrations
of 0.008+0.003 and 0.043 + 0.004 pCi/kg wet weight respectively (No 78c).
The average concentration in the upper 100 m of seawater was 0.7 + 0.3
fCi/1l (No 78c).

Using the concentration factors from the Marshall Island

results and the average Farallon water concentration,

the predicted

Plutonium in the muscle and bone would have been 0.010 + 0.004 and 0.10 +

0.04 pCi/kg.

These concentrations are in reasonable agreement with the

measured values.
From the total weights of the tissues and concentrations of 23942405,

listed in Table 2 and the assumptions developed above, it is possible to
reconstruct concentrations in any assemblv of tissues and organs to compare

with the 1972 concentration data.
Table 3 summarizes measured plutonium concentrations in Kwajalein
Atoll reef fish from 1972 (Ne 73,

Sc 75) and concentrations in the whole,

eviscerated, and viscera samples collected in 1975 and 1976.

The

concentration of 2392405, in the 1972 dry eviscerated reef fish from
Kwajalein Atoll range from 4 to 960 pCi/kg.

Our measurements show

concentrations in eviscerated reef fish 22 to 5000 times lower than these
values.

The concentration in dry eviscerated snapper is 440 times lower

than the concentration measured in the 1972 snapper.

Concentrations in

1972 dried viscera samples ranged from 9-430 pCi/kg.

Our reconstructed

viscera concentrations are orders of magnitude less than this range of

Vio
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