Software development for estimating the concentration of radioactive cesium in the skeletal muscles of cattle from blood samples

Abstract

The 2011 earthquake severely damaged the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP), resulting in the release of large quantities of radioactive material into the environment. The deposition of these radionuclides in rice straw as livestock feed led to the circulation of contaminated beef in the market. Based on the safety concern of the consumers, a reliable method for estimating concentrations of radioactive cesium in muscle tissue is needed. In this study, we analyzed the concentrations of radioactive cesium in the blood and skeletal muscle of 88 cattle, and detected a linear correlation between them. We then developed software that can be used to estimate radioactive cesium concentrations in muscle tissue from blood samples. Distribution of this software to the livestock production field would allow us to easily identify high-risk cattle, which would be beyond the safety regulation, before shipping out to the market. This software is planned to be released as freeware. This software would contribute to food safety, and aid the recovery of the livestock industry from the damage creacted by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

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

“…The M/B ratio showed large individual differences ranging from 13.2 to 34.5 with an average of 21.7. Fukuda et al (2015Fukuda et al ( , 2016 reported that the concentration of radioactive cesium in muscles is linearly correlated with that in the peripheral blood, and developed a software for estimating the contamination level of muscles from the value in blood. Fukuda et al (2015Fukuda et al ( , 2016 reported that the concentration of radioactive cesium in muscles is linearly correlated with that in the peripheral blood, and developed a software for estimating the contamination level of muscles from the value in blood.…”

“…This ratio was not dependent on the age, sex (data not shown), and the contamination level of cattle ( Figure 1), but it seemed to be high from late autumn to early spring and to be low from summer to early autumn ( Figure 2). Fukuda et al (2015Fukuda et al ( , 2016 reported that the concentration of radioactive cesium in muscles is linearly correlated with that in the peripheral blood, and developed a software for estimating the con- (Sato et al, 2015). Even if the concentration of 137 Cs in the cattle tissue were 10,000 Bq/kg, which is 100 times as high as the legal standard, the concentration of cesium as an element would increase only by 0.0031 μg/kg ( 134 Cs: 0.00021 μg/10,000 Bq).…”

Estimation of concentration of radionuclides in skeletal muscle from blood, based on the data from abandoned animals in Fukushima

“…We analyzed 17 materials to determine the possible relationship (Fukuda et al, 2015). In Figure 3 (Fukuda et al, 2016). Based on these results, we developed personal computer-based software to estimate the radioactive concentration in the skeletal muscle from blood samples (Fukuda et al, 2016).…”

Transgenerational Effects on Calf Spermatogenesis and Metabolome Associated with Paternal Exposure to the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Accident

“…Recently, we reported organ-specific deposition of the individual radionuclide in abandoned cattle following the FNPP accident. Radioactive caesium ( 134 Cs and 137 Cs) is notably detected in all organs examined [6][7][8]. Further, we reported that spermatogenesis occurred normally in the reproductive organs of bulls and boars that were abandoned in the ex-evacuation zone, following chronic low-dose-rate (LDR) radiation [9,10].…”