Mean Body Burden of Cs-137
'
WA
CONN FW PF ON OANA ty
\O
~
Year
196
——
United States
Body Burden
280
1000
2000 |
.
“
picocuries
‘
OO
5100
64.00 |
8000
6700
4.600
6000
ce
11000
19000
16000
9700
5700
3500
Date from Gustafson and Miller, Health Physics 16, 167-83 (1969)
rene
As in the case of strontium-90, Cs-137 did not exist in the environment
in 1944,
No measurements are available for 1951.
.
The variability with geographic location is similar to that for fallout in
general and a factor of 2 would cover most areas.
An exception is the small
group of Eskimos living off a diet high in reindeer méat.
Their body burdens
are 50 to 100 times higher than the ones shown in the table.
This is caused
by the peculiar food chain of lichen-reindeer-man which transfers cesium-137
with great efficiency.
It is of interest to note that lead-210, which repre-
sents natural fallout, is also concentrated in these individuals.
The body burdens of cesium-137 in children are uniformly less than adults
in the same area due in part to the half-time of retention.