, acto
Harpy and Hariey (26) reported the strontium levels in eleven samples
of albacore and tuna collected in the Western Pacific. The samples were
canned tuna and contained Sr* at an average level of 0.00226 d/m/g of wet
tissue.
Hiyama (27) reported Sr® data on fish collected near the Eniwetok Test
Site. Of 25 fish taken during the Shunkotsu Maru survey during June 1956,
19 contained no detectable Sr® in the tissues, 5 contained approximately
0.14 d/m of Sr*/g dry weight of bone (about 0.06 d/m/g wet), and one contained approximately 1.4 d/m of Sr®/g of bone (about 0.6 d/m/g wet). Of
nearly 100 fish collected during July 1954, the most highly contaminated
contained 0.003 d/m of Sr®/g wet weight of muscle.
SoutuH (unpublished) did strontium analyses on 9 samples of fish tissues
collected in Eniwetok Lagoon between 6 July 1954 and 12 February 1955,
and found that Sr®°°—Y* contributed from 0.01% to 0.9% of the total radioactivity, an average of 0.13%. The highest level (0.9%) was found in shark
cartilage, the lowest levels in muscle and liver (Table VII).
TABLE VII
are
‘ on
rom dy
whey
i
A,
wok
sents
PERCENTAGE OF Sr®—-¥9, AND TOTAL DISINTEGRATION RATE PER GRAMME
WET WEIGHT, OF FISH SAMPLES COLLECTED AT ENIWETOK DURING 1954—1955
{
|
Eniwetok*
fo
|
Date
ee
,
Baracuda muscle
Bonito muscle
|
Shark muscle
Shark skeleton
|
Butterfly-fish liver
;
Blue Bonito muscle
Shark muscle
|
Mullet liver
|
Blue Bonito liver
|
|
|
|
Foncentage
Fo
|
7/6/54
7/27/54
:
|
10/27/54
|
10/27/54
10/27/54
1/18/55
BtL0/55
2/12/55
2/12/55
Tote‘werent
1
0.08
0.02
0.1
0.9
0.01
!
0.01
|
0.02
|
;
|
;
|
3
64
1,500**
4,900**
5O00**
3,700
0.02
160,000
0.03
1,400
83
|
|
* South, unpublished
** d/mjg dry weight
Lowman, PaLtumsBo and SoutuH (9), in ion-exchange separations on
bonito liver collected at Bikini Atoll, did not find Sr®, although the total
radioactivity in the sample was 50,000 d/m/g wet weight.
SUYEHIRO et al (29), in laboratory studies of the uptake of Sr® in aquatic
animals, reported that fresh-water fish took up Sr®° much more readily than
did marine fish, which accumulated less than one per cent of the amount
available. Suyehiro attributed the reduced uptake in sea water to salinity.
However, other factors, including isotope dilution and dilution by stable
calcium, were probably the primary causes for reduced uptake.
Boroveus ef al (14) found that approximately one to two per cent
of Sr89 which had been fed to 10 yellowfin tuna was retained after a period
of 24 hours, and that another fish (Tilapia) contained on the average only
about 7 1/2°% of the ingested amount after 4 days. These animals were subjected to acute exposures of Sr®, and the results would probably differ from
those from a chronic exposure. Because marine organisms are able to concen132