Comparison of urine and blood as a convenient and practical sample for estimating the contamination level of live cattle with radioactive cesium

Abstract

Blood and urine were compared to clarify which is a better sample for estimating the concentration of radioactive cesium in muscles of live cattle. The most probable concentration of 137 Cs in muscles was 21.0 times that in blood, and the error of this estimation was 28%. The concentration of 137 Cs in blood was estimated accurately using urine samples. The estimation error did not increase so much (33%), even when the concentration of 137 Cs in muscles was estimated using urine samples. On the other hand, the maximum volume of blood that can be collected with one syringe is 50 ml, whereas it is easy to collect 1,000 ml of urine. It took at least 360 min to confirm that a cow meets the legal standard by inspecting 50 ml of blood. However, with 1,000 ml of urine, a 20 min measurement time was sufficient for this purpose.This difference in the required measurement time is critically important for practical use. In addition, urine can be collected by farmers themselves, whereas the blood collection requires a veterinarian. Therefore, urine is a more convenient and practical sample for estimating the contamination level of live cattle with radioactive cesium. K E Y W O R D Scattle, cesium, Fukushima, muscle, urine

Pharmacokinetics of Stable Caesium after Single Administration of Caesium Chloride in Japanese Black Cattle

“…In contrast, there were reports that cattle excrete RCs more in feces than in urine. 8,16) In this study, the recovery of SCs in feces was comparable to these observations in cattle.…”

“…5) Four reports have estimated radioactive caesium (RCs) concentration in muscle from its blood or urine RCs level in cattle. 4,[6][7][8] However, there are no reports on the characteristics of pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters related to absorption, distribution, and elimination of RCs in cattle. If PK parameters of cattle is evaluated, it is possible to explain how to reduce RCs in meat before slaughter.…”