Bioaccumulation of cesium‐137 in yellow bullhead catfish (Ameiurus natalis) inhabiting an abandoned nuclear reactor reservoir

Abstract

Abstract-Bioaccumulation of 137 Cs was investigated in yellow bullhead catfish (Ameiurus natalis) inhabiting an abandoned reactor reservoir, Pond B, Savannah River Site, Barnwell Co., South Carolina. We collected fish by trap-netting, and determined ages from pectoral spines. Muscle and other tissues were assayed for 137 Cs by NaI-scintillation. Muscle 137 Cs was unrelated to sex (p ϭ 0.859) or mass of fish (p ϭ 0.224), but was related to age (p ϭ 0.036). Examination of least-squares means suggested that 137 Cs in muscle increased up to about age 3, but did not increase with greater age (means for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 year olds were 2, 630,3,011,3,513,3,417,3,599,and 3,339 Bq/kg, respectively). A modified Richards model showed equilibrium 137 Cs concentration in muscle (3,625 Bq/kg) was acquired in approximately 2.4 years. Growth differed between sexes (p Ͻ 0.001), and the time to asymptotic body mass was longer than the time to attain equilibrium 137 Cs concentration. Males attained an asymptotic mass of 577 g in approximately 6.3 years; females attained an asymptotic mass of 438 g in approximately 5.9 years. The cumulative 137 Cs burden of the population was 4.9 ϫ 10 6 Bq, representing Ͻ0.001% of the 137 Cs inventory of the reservoir. Concentration of 137 Cs varied among tissues (p Ͻ 0.001), with gill and muscle the lowest and highest (634 and 3,712 Bq/kg, respectively). Concentration of 137 Cs in ovaries declined with increasing ovary mass (p ϭ 0.001; r 2 ϭ 0.60). Until equilibrium is attained in these fish, 137 Cs concentration is directly related to increasing age rather than size.

Contrasting cesium dynamics in neighboring deep and shallow warm-water reservoirs

“…Numerous studies of 137 Cs in biota were also performed in both Par Pond and Pond B (Domby et al, 1978;Newman and Brisbin, 1990;Whicker et al, 1990;Kelly and Pinder, 1996;McCreedy et al, 1997), and some seasonal patterns in the 137 Cs concentrations in biota appeared to be related to the seasonal cycle of concentrations in the water column (Holloman et al, 1997;Peles et al, 2000). Because these studies were conducted >20 years after the main release of 137 Cs into the lakes (from 1961through 1964Ashley and Zeigler, 1980), they were largely limited to assessments of concentration ratios for systems already at or near steady state.…”

Bioremediation of Biophilic Radionuclides by Algae

“…Cesium is absorbed by the body as an analog of potassium, which is one of the essential elements of living cells, and is accumulated in the parenchyma of the muscles and organs [12]. However, the biological concentration factor of cesium is not very high, unlike for heavy metals, and is in the range of one to two orders of magnitude in large predatory fish [13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. The effective half-life is considered to be the same level as biological half-life in humans, about 100 days, because of the long half-life of Cs-134 and Cs-137 [20].…”

Long-term radiological assessment of a Mediterranean freshwater ecosystem surrounding a nuclear power plant

“…Radiological protection of the environment was previously considered adequate if humans were adequately protected from an anthropogenic point of view (ICRP 1991 , 1997 ). In the case of freshwater ecosystems, data are often limited to regions affected by the deposition of radionuclides, as occurred in the Chernobyl or Fukushima accidents, or in the vicinity of nuclear power plants (NPPs) (Rowan and Rasmussen 1994 ; McCreedy et al 1997 ; Sundbom et al 2003 ; Smith et al 2009 ; Wada et al 2013 ), which are used for assessing the effective ingested dose to humans (Delistraty et al 2010 ; Tjahaja et al 2012 ). This perspective changed to ensure adequate protection of the environment itself (ICRP 2008a ), with the introduction of the concept of Reference Animals and Plants (RAPs) (ICRP 2008b ).…”