Chernobyl radioactivity on the Black Sea coast of Turkey.

After the Chernobyl reactor accident, Eastern Black Sea coast was one of the heavily contaminated regions of Turkey. Clouds loaded with radioactive isotopes arrived the region on May 1986 and emptied their contents with the heavy rains that are frequently seen in the region. In order to asses the current level of contamination, several different samples, moss, lichen, litter, surface soil and soil cores were collected on August 1994. Samples were brought to the laboratory and their moisture, pH and organic matter contents were determined. Gamma-ray spectra of the samples were collected with a HpGe detector. (137)Cs was the major isotope observed. Activity of most litter samples were below 1000 Bq/kg, while most of the moss samples had activities below 5000 Bq/kg, there were a few with higher (137)Cs activities. Surface soil samples generally had activities less than 2000 Bq/kg and depth profiles of cesium activities in the soil cores showed regional variations.

Determination of iodine concentration in human milk, cows' milk and infant formula and estimation of daily iodine intake of infants.

A simple and sensitive kinetic-catalytic method was used for the determination of iodine concentration in human milk, cows' milk and infant formula. The method, based on the catalytic effect of iodine on the redox reaction between CeIV and AsIII, was first described by Sandell and Kolthoff. The calibration curve was constructed by plotting absorbance of CeIV after a known time versus iodine concentration. The precision, accuracy and recovery of the method was determined. After the application of the method to milk and infant formula samples, the daily iodine intake of infants on their first or second day after delivery was estimated at 20.0 +/- 11.9 micrograms d-1 and 13.0 +/- 3.3 micrograms d-1 from human milk and infant formula, respectively.

Determination of selenium in biological matrices using a kinetic catalytic method.

A simple and sensitive catalytic spectrophotometric method was developed for the determination of selenium in biological matrices. The method is based on the catalytic effect of selenium on the reaction of Methylene Blue (MB) with sodium sulfide. For a given reaction between MB and sodium sulfide, the change in the MB absorbance with time was monitored, then the time (t) required for completion of the reaction was determined, and t-1 was calculated. A plot of t-1 versus selenium concentration constituted the calibration graph, which was linear in the range 2.5-30 ng ml-1 selenium. In this study, experimental parameters and the effect of interferences on determinations of selenium were examined. Tetramethylammonium hydroxide digestion was applied to blood, hair and urine samples; it was found to give the best results for urine. Then the catalytic method was applied to urine samples (84.9% recovery).

Determination of selenium in human diets by radiochemical neutron activation analysis.

A post-irradiation radiochemical separation technique was tested for the determination of selenium levels in diet samples, collected by using a duplicate portion technique, from both rural and urban population groups in Turkey. The technique involved sample irradiation, acid digestion, selective distillation, precipitation and filtration steps. During the separations it was possible to determine the yield of each sample using a stable selenium carrier. An average chemical yield of 71 +/- 3% was obtained for the radiochemical neutron activation analysis. For samples from urban and rural regions, the average selenium concentrations obtained were 0.14 +/- 0.04 and 0.07 +/- 0.02 mg kg-1, respectively. It was also possible to determine daily dietary selenium intakes, which were found to be 81 +/- 41 micrograms and 23 +/- 11 micrograms for the urban and rural groups, respectively. Although daily selenium intakes were found for a small number of subjects in this study, the separation technique developed can be used for determination of the selenium status in larger population groups.

Kinetic analysis of zinc metabolism in humans after simultaneous administration of 65Zn and 70Zn.

Zinc kinetics were studied and compared after oral simultaneous administration of two tracers, radioactive (65Zn) and stable (70Zn) isotope, to four normal human volunteers. Both tracers and zinc concentration were measured in plasma, red blood cells (RBC), urine, and feces for up to 78 days. Radioactive zinc was also measured by external counting over whole body, liver, and thigh. Data from each individual were analyzed using a compartmental model for zinc metabolism. Values calculated for absorption, fractional zinc excretion in urine, exchange with RBC, and secretion into gut using 70Zn data did not differ from values calculated using 65Zn data. Results show that human zinc metabolism can be investigated using stable isotopes as tracers to determine parameters of whole body zinc metabolism, including zinc absorption, excretion, and secretion.

Radiochemical neutron activation analysis of zinc isotopes in human blood, urine, and feces for in vivo tracer experiments.

Enriched stable isotopes are being increasingly used for study of trace element nutrition in humans who cannot be studied by use of in vivo radioactive tracers (e.g., subjects under age 18 and pregnant women). Zinc metabolism in these subjects can be evaluated by administration of Zn enriched to 65% in the minor isotope, 70Zn (0.6% natural abundance). The enhanced 70Zn is detected later in red blood cells, plasma, urine, and feces by measuring 70Zn/64Zn or 70Zn/68Zn ratios. Stable isotope concentrations are measured by neutron activation of the samples and observation of their products: 244-day 65Zn, 14-h 69mZn, and 4-h 71mZn. Zinc-65 can be observed in these samples without chemical separations 3 weeks after irradiations, but large amounts of 24Na and other short-lived species preclude direct observation of the short-lived Zn activities. Preirradiation chemistry was developed to remove most interferences, the major steps being to place the sample on Chelex resin, elute alkali metals and alkaline earths from it, and irradiate the resin containing the Zn. gamma-Rays of 69mZn can be observed on the irradiated resin, but additional precipitation and solvent extraction steps are needed to remove 56Mn and 64Cu for clear observation of 71mZn and 65Zn within hours after irradiation. Yields for pre- and postirradiation separations are typically 85% and 70%, respectively. The stable isotope tracer method was validated by simultaneous in vivo tracing with radioactive 65Zn in four subjects.