Radiocaesium Elimination in the Yellow-Bellied Turtle (Pseudemys scripta)

Comparison of Two Freshwater Turtle Species as Monitors of Environmental Contamination

“…The elimination rate of 13'Cs during the spring and summer months was approximately 7.2 x 10e3 f 4.4 x 10m3 kBq/day (Peters and Brisbin 1988). Positive correlations exist between the weight of the turtle and the elimination rate, and between weight and the concentration of the radionuclide in the turtle (initial body burden) (Peters and Brisbin 1988). No relationship was found be-tween elimination rate and the sex of the turtle (Peters and Brisbin 1988) which is consistent with that reported in birds (Fendley et al 1977).…”

“…Like 90Sr, elimination rates were highest during the spring through early summer months, which corresponded with the breeding season and the period of highest metabolic activity of the species (Scott et al 1986). The elimination rate of 13'Cs during the spring and summer months was approximately 7.2 x 10e3 f 4.4 x 10m3 kBq/day (Peters and Brisbin 1988). Positive correlations exist between the weight of the turtle and the elimination rate, and between weight and the concentration of the radionuclide in the turtle (initial body burden) (Peters and Brisbin 1988).…”

“…The present review, however, is restricted to data published on organochlorine pesticide concentrations in turtles from 1950 to 1989 as they pertain to biological monitoring. The pesticides that have been detect@ in _ turtles are dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), aldrin (1,2,3,4,10,10-hexachloro-l,4,4a,5,8,8a-hex~ydro-l,4-endo-exo-5,8-dimethananonaphthalene), dieldrin (1,2,3,4,10,10-hexachloro-w-6,7-epoxy-1,4,4a,5,6,7,8,8a-octahydro-l,4-endo-exo-5,8-dimethanonaphthalene), endrin (1,2,3,4,10,10-hexchloro-6,7-epoxy-1,4,4a,5,6,7,8,8a-octahydro-l,4-endo-endo-5,8-dimethanonaphthalene), heptachlor (1,4,5,6,7,8,8-heptachloro-3a,4,7,7a-tetrahydro-4,7-methanoindane), mirex (dodecachlorooctahydro-1,3,3-metheno-2H-cyclobuta(cd)pentalene), chlordane (1,2,4,5,6,7,8,8-octachloro-2,3,3a,4,7,7a-hexahydro-4,7-methanoindene), nonachlor (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,3,3a,4,7,, and toxaphene (a mixture of various chlorinated,camphenes).…”

“…Cesium-137 has also been studied in turtles (Brungs 1967, Scott et al 1986, Peters 1986, Towns 1987, Peters and Brisbin 1988. Analysis of various tissues from 1. scrinta collected from an area contaminated with '37Cs revealed that 137Cs was distributed throughout the body, however, the highest concentration of the radionuclide was in muscle (Towns 1987).…”

“…The time required for 1. scrinta to reach an equilibrium radiocesium concentration with its environment has been calculated to be 320 days (Peters and Brisbin 1988). A comparison of the biological half-life of '37Cs in turtles to that in several other taxa revealed that it was greater than that for birds (Fendley et al 1977, Halford et al 1983 and wild mammals (Jenkins et al 1969).…”