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Fish and Radioactivity
Fish and Radioactivity
by
Allyn H. Seymour
CONTENTS
Page
Introduction 1
Summary 68
Literature Cited 71
Introduction
topes by fish.
topes that have been taken into the body of the fish
ide the body than outside because sources inside the body
cern than the mortality that may occur to the fish. What-
than man, the lethal dose being about twice as great for
4-
period of time and area, but this condition has not been
-5-
Bikini-Eniwetok.
ranged from zero to 100 per cent. In those fish in which the
tions have occurred they are not the type that manifest
ionizing radiation.
isotope.
ion pair -- a positive ion, the gas, and a negative Ion, the
Samplee
half life and the number of atoms per unit weight. One
and onto the continental United States has been less than
(Platzman 1959).
dose In rem.
the cell.
following statement.
such events.
were known, it would not tell the entire story of the effect
effects.”
has taken place and that ror very low levels of exposure,
.
-19-
process.
Crow also shows evidence that the reason for the slow rate
beneficial factor.”
follows:
-22-
losses.
or genetic injury.”
the !’speci.fic
ionization and attenuation of energy in tissue.”
intake and the actual food intake. If fish are the only
upon which the MPC values were based is eaten every day for
be less than the MPC value for fish. The permissible sea
the Carritt report was 10, the same as above. Although not
factor for the isotope from sea water the the PSC equals
by fish.
Srgo in the diet should not exceed the ratio of’100 micro-
factors upon which the standards are based and as the opinions
(5,6oo years) the one per cent increase of C14 from thermo-
ocean water.
have been found In our environment but K@, Th232, and u23B
Marten, ibid.
man over granite rock at sea level, 75 for man over sedi-
type but since then there also have been detonations of the
they are all of the same age and have not been differen-
processes.
joined together to form the nucleus for one atom, just the
process than for the fission process the term “clean device”
ronment.
wastes.
curies of low level wastes were added to the water off the
conventional means.
at Windscale.
mile off the British coast, the problem had been studied in
receives low level liquid wastes from the Hanford plutonium pro-
ocean at this point is about 1000 curies per day (U. S. Atomic
the inshore area, including the intertidal zone, bays and harbors;
‘[2)the shelf area, extending from the low tide line out to a
depth of about 600 feet where the bottom slope increases rapidly
towards the deep sea; and (3) the deep sea. The waters of the
inshore area, the shelf and the uppermost part of the deep sea
are thoroughly mixed by the winds and in the inshore areas by
being one-half tome mile per hour, but the deeper currents
the coral of the islands and the sea floor. For detonations
the vicinity of the test sites of the United States and the
the area in 1958 during its 27th voyage (Kreps 1959) but
this time.
Maru.“ Miyake ——
et al (1956) reported that fallout was
activity in the ocean from the same test series was made
out was detected In water samples from off the south axast
fallout into the ocean was not known, nor the center of
and turbulence.
2,600 miles from Bikini, about 400 days after March 1, 1954.
For the 1956 test series (Redwing), the maximum value was
in the sample.
-47-
and again southwest, a course that three times cut across the
between the surface and a depth of 653 meters and the average
define; and near the end of the survey, off the coast of
be generally comparable.
sea water from the western North Pacific and North Atlantic.
pacific have not been made; however, there has been time for
during the 1958 test series from samples of sea water taken
the stirred or mixed water layer, the water above the thermo-
cline, at a rate of about 8 feet per hour. The distribution
ticulate matter.
as they enter the sea may change upon interaction with the
SIX weeks post shot, with fallout from more than one deton-
in minute quantities.
radioisotopes by fish.
water, sea foods and fish muscle and the concentration of the
form.
Vti the left of Sr89. Either the fission products are not
The allowable daily intake was calculated from the value for
from each isotope in the sample to the allowable amount for that
isotope was calculated; the value for the sample was the sum of
calculations the values for the most sensitive tissue and for
population at large.
.c,aught
by Japanese fishermen during regular fishing operations
and 500 cpm; 19 per cent between 500 and 1,000 cpm; 14 per
cent between 1,000 and 3,000 cpm; 1.8 per cent between 3,000
and 5,000 cpm; and 0.8 per cent over 5,000 cpm (Kawabata
cpm per gram, the highest value found for muscle. Later,
1956.
IV) and 15L1S0, the specific activity for CS137 in sea water
is low*
ported by Murthy ——
et al. were higher for oysters and clams
clams, May 1958, 40. The MPC for Zn65, 106 Wp,c/kg,as
was found that zinc and cobalt are taken up rapidly and in
SUM14ARY
than the effect upon the fish and shellfish that take up
the radioisotopes.
but not for small doese of the size that now occur In
amount of radioactivity.
69 -
been negligible.
LITERATURE CITED
“Crow, J. F. (1959).ionizing
radiation
and evolution.Sci.American
201 (3),138-160.
KrePs.
-- E. M. (1959). The problem of radioactive contamination of
ocean and marine organisms. (Institute of Physiology, Academy
of Sciences, USSR). Processed.
PROTOZOA
ALGAE I
I
MOLLUSCA
I
CRUSTACEA
I
FISH[
—
102 103 104 105 106
Roentgens
1)
Per cent abundance at: Relative
Fission One One One Ten
products week month year years Half life2) vRe%3)
Non-fission
products
Mn54 290 days 1, 000
Fe55 950 days 8, 000
Fe5g 45 days 600
~057 270 days 5, 000
C058 71 days 1,000
C060 1900 days 500
zn65 245 days 1, 000
U235 11 3X1O-4
110 .023 1
~3 11 .03
12 .003 1
~232 1 II 2X1O-5
8 .002
1) Revelle (1957)
2) Disintegrations per minute per liter based upon
calculated value for K40
3) Microcuries per cubic centimeter
4) Maximum permissible concentration for water
consumed by man (Handbook 69, 1959)
* No value given; hazard negligible
Table 111. Radioisotopes Present in Plankton Collected soon
~ter Fallout
Per cent of
Half life total radioactivity
Isotope
Bomb debris
69
~p239 z. 3 days
3
6.8 days
U237
Fission products
12
Mo99. Tcggm 66 hours
8
Te132+132 77 hours
Ru103-Rh103 40 days
36 hoursz) 3
Ru105_Rh105
1 year \
Ru106-Rh106
2
Ba140+~140 12.8 days
2
~e141-pr141 33 days
1
.Zr95-~95 65 days
<1
285 days
Ce144-pr144
100+
2)
Sea foods, Fish muscle3) Concentration Fallout
Sea waterl) edible portions or soft parts in fish muscle, radio-
PPM PPM PPM median value isotopes
n\ FractionofAllowableintake
Daily”
Zr95 Ru+03. RU106
Sample intake
pc ~n54 ~e55 Fe59 C057 C058 Co60 Zn65 SrgO Ygl A9
Nb95 RhllO: Rh1°6 Total
1
Flying fish
muscle . 333 --- 0 .003 .001 .017 .003 .127 0 --- <.002 <.001 --- .154
Flying fish
liver .524 --- 0 .052 .003 .076 .010 .112 0 --- <.003 <.001 --- .257
Bonito
liver .500 .005 . 016 <.004 ,001 .002 .014 .080 0 0 <.003 --- 0 . 125*
clam
kidney 16.0 .145 . 673 <.121 .145 .655 .291 0 <73. .727 <.097 --- <.364 3.2+
103
Table 1. Per Cent Abundance and Relative Maximum Permissible
1)
Per cent abundance at: Relative
3) MPC valuesrelative
toSrgO;based upon valuesfrom Handbook
.
LL
Table 1. - ($ontinued)
1) Relative
Per cent abundance at:
Ten MP C
Fission One me -e
years Half lffe2) vahleS3)
product8 week month year
13 days 300
~a140 8.8 10.8 ‘-- ‘--
40 hours 200
La140 9.4 12.5 ‘-- ‘--
17 reins. *
Pr144 --- 2.0 26.5 ‘--
~On-fksion
products
290 days 1,000
Mn54
950 days 8,000
Fe55
45 day8 600
Fesg
270 days 5,000
C057
71 day~ 1, 000
C058
1900 days 500
~060
245 days 1,000
Zn65
Concentration of FalloutRadioisotopes
of Biological Interest
1)
Per cent abundance at: Relative
Table I. - (Continued)
1)
Percent abundance at: Relative
Non-f isBion
Droducts
RadioaCti~ty
Per cent
Total activity
(MPC)w4)
of total in sea water
in ocean in
dlm~~
2) pc/cc ~) #c/cc
1) activity
megactlries
3XI0-7 *
97.1 736
460,000
~()-3
13 6X10-9
1.77
8,400
gxlo-fJ 2XI0-4
.80 6
3,800
~(-J-9 10-7
.23 2
1, 100
5X1 O- 10 8X10-3
.057 1
270
1’ 3XI0-4
110 .023 1
t, .03
.003 1
~3 12
t< 2X1O-5
.002 1
~h232 8
758 3X1O-7
100.0
Total 473,700
1) Revel~e (1957)
H3 tt
12 . 003 1 . 03
1) Revelle ( 1957)
Fallout
Per cent of
Bomb debris
Fission products
Mo99. Tc99m
66 hours 12
Te132-1132 77 hours 8
R~103-Rh103 40 days
Rulo5-R~lo5 36 hours2)
Rulo6-R~lo6 1 year
Ce14i-Pr141 33 days 2
Zr95-Nb95 65 days 1
Ce144-Pri44 285 dayB <1
100+
1) Data from Lowman, (1960); average value for six samples collected
less than 48 hours post shot; fallout from one detonation, Rehoboth
survey, (1958)
Fallout
Per cent of
Bomb debris
Fission products
Te132.1132 77 hours 8
Ru103-Rh103 40 days
Ru105-Rhi05 36 houra2) 3
Ru106-Rh106 i year
Ce14i.pr141 33 days 2
Zr95-Nb95 65 daJU3 1
100+
1) Data from Lowman, (1960; average value for six samplea collected
less than 48 hours post shot; fallout from one detonation, Rehoboth
survey, ( 195@
Bromine 65 ? ---
Fluorine 1.4 4- 34 14
1) Sverdrup et al.
—. (1946)
3) Vinogradov (1953)
** Chipman (1958)
Table VI. Contribution of Selected Fish and Clam Samples to the Allowable Intake
Flying fish
muscle .333 --- 0 .003 .001 .017 .003 .127 0 --- <.002 <.001 -=- .154
Flyingfish
liver .524 --- 0 .052 .003 .076 .010 .112 0 ‘-- <.003 <.001 ‘-- .257
Bonito
liver . 500 .005 . 016 <.004 .001 .002 .014 .080 0 0 <.003 --- 0 .12s”
Chm
kidney 16.0 .145 , 673 4.121 .145 .655 .291 0 <73. .727 <.097 ‘-- <364 3.2+
Allowable daily
intake, J4c3) 2.2 17.6 1.32 11.0 2.2 1.1 2.2 1.32 1.76
.002 .66 .22
2.2 .22
220. --
---
Table VI. - (continued)
2) Assumed to be 220 grams for fish muscle and 22 grams for liver or kidney; factor
* One per cent of total activity from unknown anions not included in total
Table VI. Contribution of Selected Fish and Clam Samples to the Allowable Intake
Daily2 )
Fraction of Allowable Intake
sample intake
Zrgs Ru103- RU106
J06
MC Mn54 Fe55 Fe5g C057 C058
C060 Zn65 S=90 y91 N’bg5 Rhi03-
Fthi06 To*]
106
Flying fish
liver .524 --- 0 .052 .003 .07G .010 .ii2 () --- L 003 .001 --- .25’
Bonito
2) Assumed to be 220 grams for fish muscle and 22 grams for liver or kidney; factor
* One per cent of total activity from unknown anions not included in total
Table VII. Radioisotopes in Fish Caught by Japanese Fishermen, 1954-19571)
wc / g (wet tissue)
t, Iv 81 Red muscle “ “
1! 1!
L200. 3.1
It 120.
Red muscle 10/56
II
700.
II II If f,
5,000. 500. 12.
Liver
!1 )1
Liver 6/56 5430. 36.
t! It
1> ,!
40JIO0. 531.
13
Kidney “ “
II ?1 1! II fll 11 t,
3J300. 60.6
Spleen
Muscle “ “
1.
33. .0014
f, II
6}56
t, 1)
1,000. 40.
Liver