Abstract. Earthworms and their growth media were analyzed for 33 elements, including radionuclide related elements such as Cs, Sr and U, in order to obtain basic information on the transfer parameters of the elements. The earthworms analyzed were Eisenia foetida fed in the laboratory by using cotton linters or leaf litter. The concentrations and transfer factors (TFs) of the elements were determined. Relatively high TFs were observed for Na, Mg, P, K, Ca, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Mo and Cd. The TFs for Al, Sc, Ti, Y, Nb and lanthanide elements were low. The TFs of alkaline elements, K, Rb and Cs, decrease with atomic number. The TFs of Cs were 0.16 for both media. Multi-element analyses could provide much information on the concentration and transfer of elements for earthworms which are one candidate reference organism for environmental radiation protection studies.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.