Relationship between radiocaesium in muscle and physicochemical fractions of radiocaesium in the stomach of wild boar

Abstract

After the accident at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011, it became important to study radiation dynamics, assess internal radiation exposure and specify factors affecting radionuclide variation in wildlife. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate which physicochemical fractions of radiocaesium ( 137 Cs) are absorbed from ingested material in species with high activity concentrations of 137 Cs, such as wild boar. This study analysed the physicochemical fractions of 137 cs in the stomach contents of wild boar to evaluate the transfer from ingested food to muscle. The 137 cs activity concentration in muscle showed a significantly positive relationship with the 137 cs activity concentration in the exchangeable fraction, and the sum of the 137 cs activity concentrations in the exchangeable and bound to organic matter fractions. Seasonal variations were also found in the 137 cs activity concentration in the exchangeable fraction, and the sum of the 137 cs activity concentrations in the exchangeable and bound to organic matter fractions. These findings suggest that the proportions of the physicochemical fractions of 137 Cs in the exchangeable and bound to organic matter fractions in the stomach contents are important factors affecting the increases and seasonal dynamics of the activity concentrations of 137 cs in wild boar muscle. Scientific RepoRtS |(2020) 10:6796 | https://doi.

Monitoring of radioactive cesium in wild boars captured inside the difficult-to-return zone in Fukushima Prefecture over a 5-year period

“…Large amounts of radionuclides were released from the reactors at the time of the FDNPP accident 3 . Of these, concerns surrounding the long-term accumulation of cesium-137 ( 137 Cs) in wildlife have been raised due to its relatively long physical half-life (30 year) and high bioavailability (i.e., absorption and transfer rates), as its chemical characteristics are similar to those of the monovalent cation potassium 4 , 5 . A high proportion of the radiocaesium released exists in an ionic state immediately after deposition in the soil, and then, after physical and chemical changes in the soil following deposition, radiocaesium binds to soil particles over time and becomes less easily dissolvable 6 .…”

“…A high proportion of the radiocaesium released exists in an ionic state immediately after deposition in the soil, and then, after physical and chemical changes in the soil following deposition, radiocaesium binds to soil particles over time and becomes less easily dissolvable 6 . Such a physicochemical fraction of radiocaesium in the environment can also affect radiocaesium intake in wildlife [e.g., 5 , 7 ]. After the FDNPP accident, numerous studies reported that 137 Cs was present in many wildlife species, and extensive studies have been conducted on 137 Cs dynamics in organisms distributed in and around Fukushima (e.g., insects 8 ; amphibians 9 ; fishes 10 – 12 ; birds 13 ; and mammals 14 – 21 ).…”

Imaging Plate Autoradiography for Ingested Anthropogenic Cesium-137 in Butterfly Bodies: Implications for the Biological Impacts of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident

“…In vertebrates, a common tendency of muscle to accumulate 137 Cs has been reported in many studies. Examples are cattle [ 56 , 57 ], wild boars [ 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 ], Japanese monkeys [ 62 , 63 ], and fishes [ 64 , 65 ]. Accumulation of 137 Cs has been reported in various field-collected insects, spiders, and other invertebrates [ 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 ].…”

Environmental transfer parameters of strontium for soil to cow milk pathway for tropical monsoonal climatic region of the Indian subcontinent

“…For Cs, I, and Sr radioisotopes, several studies on F v and F m were published for temperate climates 1 , 14 – 29 . A very few studies on Cs and I radioisotopes have been reported for the Indian subcontinent as well 30 – 37 .…”