However, the patterns repeat themselves regardless of the error associated
with counting, indicating that the trends found for the different ratios among
the tissues and gut-content samples of the fish are real.
This pattern
pointed to the possibility of discrimination between isotopes of plutonium,
which is difficult to accept from a purely chemical viewpoint.
The following
steps were taken to analyze if discrimation between the isotopes of plutonium
was taking place.
Gizzard and intestinal contents were removed from samples
of mullet collected
from the more-contaminated
equilibrated with seawater for 5 hours.
the
ingested material
to pass
regions of Bikini
and
(Five hours is the normal time for
through the gut of mullet.)
From this
experiment, the 238py:239+240py activity ratio was determined in the solid
phase and in solution.
Five sets of results are shown in Table 11.
In every
case, more 238py relative to 239+240py is measured in solution, which
indicates that 238pu in the material ingested by fish must be in a more
readily. soluble form than 239+240py,
_
|
The concentrations of 239+240py and 241Am in fish from the lagoon differ
markedly from organ to organ and species to species.
Less than 20% of the
samples showed the same relative amounts of 24]Am and 239+240py in the body
parts analyzed.
Concentrations of plutonium in most fish parts
from. any
location collected during different years have comparable concentrations,
Showing
that the
fish
maintain
restricted
feeding
territories.
The
concentration ratio of @4lam to 239+240py in muscle, bone, skin, or liver was
always either equivalent to or less than the ratio in the gut contents or
Table 11.
Activity ratios of 238py:239+240py in liquid and solid phases of
gut contents after equilibration with seawater.
Solid phase
Liquid phase
0.0081
0.13
0.048
0.11
0.43
0.003
0.14
0.021
0.010
0.22
0.045
0.0034
0.27
0.13
S000 74
20
-
Solid: liquid phase
0.062