to identify the specific cause of variation but each the variation can be a faster rate than Wee 376, is also readily absorbed and accumulated reduced by carefully controlling in organified soil horizons where sampling techniques and by increasing there is a proliferation of plant the number of samples. roots Where fruit data are unavailable, and litter. This accumulation of 13266 in organified soil horizons concentration factors calculated from renders it more available than 90, mature leaf data are used as the for uptake in plants. basis for predicting concentrations The concentration factors discussed of radionuclides in food available in the subsequent paragraphs generally to the returning Bikini population. reflect this relationship between the Mature leaf concentration factors uptake of in conjunction with correlations nus, coconut, Seaevola, and Messer- between various sehmidta leaves and for the fruit of species and between Oc. and 13766. For Panda- leaves and fruit of the same species all species, low concentration factors enable us are observed for 90. as compared to to predict concentrations in fruit from measured concentra~- Tog, However, tions in leaves of indicator or banana, and breadfruit show concentra- edible plants. tion factors for 905, as high or We only report concentration factors for 906 239,240 and . . As predicted from previous Pu. studies, 137265, the most effectively trans- leaves of papaya, higher than those for 137 Cs. Concen- 239,240 tration factors for , Pu are generally 10 to 100 times lower those than for either 900, or 132 e6, ferred radionuclide in the terrestrial Although they are often measured in environment soil, is "Cs, although 705, 6066, 2H and amare are only is often present in larger quantities occasionally detected in vegetation. in the soil of the atoll. For This is this reason, we did not calculate partly explained by the differential concentration Factors for these three solubilities of 905, and 13% o6 in nuclides. soil. Strontium-90 appears to be In the following sections, we tied up as insoluble carbonates in discuss the atoll soil and is thus less avail- factors assigned able to the plant. Concentration factors are assigned Cesium-137 is the specific concentration to each species. more soluble in the nonclay atoll solely on the basis of soil; calculated concentration factors . thus 137 . Cs is more easily leached through the soil. Although 137 . ‘Cs is leached through the soil at the median except for coconut and for pooled Scaevolta and Messerschmidta leaves.