Quantum chemical calculation studies toward microscopic understanding of retention mechanism of Cs radioisotopes and other alkali metals in lichens.

We evaluate stability of cesium (Cs) and other alkali-metal cation complexes of lichen metabolites in both gas and aqueous phases to discuss why lichens can retain radioactive Cs in the thalli over several years. We focus on oxalic acid, (+)-usnic acid, atranorin, lecanoric acid, and protocetraric acid, which are common metabolite substances in various lichens including, e.g., Flavoparmelia caperata and Parmotrema tinctorum retaining Cs in Fukushima, Japan. By performing quantum chemical calculations, their gas-phase complexation energies and aqueous-solution complexation free energies with alkali-metal cations are computed for their neutral and deprotonated cases. Consequently, all the molecules are found to energetically favor cation complexations and the preference order is Li[Formula: see text]Na[Formula: see text]K[Formula: see text]Rb[Formula: see text]Cs[Formula: see text] for all conditions, indicating no specific Cs selectivity but strong binding with all alkali cations. Comparing complexation stabilities among these metabolites, lecanoric and protocetraric acids seen in medullary layer are found to keep higher affinity in their neutral case, while (+)-usnic acid and atranorin in upper cortex exhibit rather strong affinity only in deprotonated cases through forming stable six atoms' ring containing alkali cation chelated by two oxygens. These results suggest that the medullary layer can catch all alkali cations in a wide pH range around the physiological one, while the upper cortex can effectively block penetration of metal ions when the metal stress grows. Such insights highlight a physiological role of metabolites like blocking of metal-cation migrations into intracellular tissues, and explain long-term retention of alkali cations including Cs in lichens containing enough such metabolites to bind them.

Non-invasive imaging of radiocesium dynamics in a living animal using a positron-emitting 127Cs tracer.

Visualizing the dynamics of cesium (Cs) is desirable to understand the impact of radiocesium when accidentally ingested or inhaled by humans. However, visualization of radiocesium in vivo is currently limited to plants. Herein, we describe a method for the production and purification of 127Cs and its use in visualizing Cs dynamics in a living animal. The positron-emitting nuclide 127Cs was produced using the 127I (α, 4n) 127Cs reaction, which was induced by irradiation of sodium iodide with a 4He2+ beam from a cyclotron. We excluded sodium ions by using a material that specifically adsorbs Cs as a purification column and successfully eluted 127Cs by flowing a solution of ammonium sulfate into the column. We injected the purified 127Cs tracer solution into living rats and the dynamics of Cs were visualized using positron emission tomography; the distributional images showed the same tendency as the results of previous studies using disruptive methods. Thus, this method is useful for the non-invasive investigation of radiocesium in a living animal.

Comparison of 137Cs uptake, depuration and continuous uptake, originating from feed, in five salmonid fish species.

The origin of 137Cs contamination, contamination levels, and its effective ecological half-life can differ among fish species, but until recently it was unknown whether interspecific differences in radiocaesium metabolism existed. We compare the trophic transfer of 137Cs in five salmonid species under controlled conditions. Fish were fed a diet containing 200 Bq kg-1 wet wt concentration of 137Cs for a fixed period of time. While there were almost no differences in contamination levels among individual fish within a species during fixed periods, the rate of 137Cs uptake was statistically different among the species examined, for which the effective half-life of 137Cs ranged 49-84 days. No significant difference in rate of decline in the quantity of 137Cs was apparent among species in two experiments after correcting for differences in growth. The effective half-life was shortest in Oncorhynchus mykiss and O. masou-two species exhibiting the best growth rate in both experiments-indicating an influence of the dilution effect associated with growth. When continuously fed 200 Bq kg-1 wet wt concentration of 137Cs for a period of 209-294 days, contamination levels in the five species ranged 216-240 Bq kg-1 wet wt, and reached a steady state value. Our results indicate metabolic rate, although accompanying a change of body size, did not affect 137Cs contamination levels in fish, which implies that contamination levels in the diet strongly determined contamination levels in fish.

The transfer of 239+240Pu, 241Am, 137Cs and 90Sr to the tissues of horses.

Horses are important food sources in several countries however, data on their radionuclide uptake is less available than for many other farm animals. Information on the transfer of artificial radioisotopes from the environment to the food supply is necessary for internal dose assessment and assuring the safety of the population relying on this food source. This study provides data for a less studied farm animal and, in the case of 241Am and 239+240Pu, relatively poorly studied radionuclides with respect to transfer to animal products. The transfer parameters for 239+240Pu, 241Am, 137Cs and 90Sr to the organs of 1-year old fillies, 10-year old mares and through the placental barrier into foetuses were quantified after 60-days feeding with contaminated soil or diet contaminated by a leachate solution. The transfer of radionuclides from ingested soil to tissues was generally lower, by up to three orders of magnitude, than from a diet contaminated by a leachate solution. The ingestion of soil is a particularly important source of radionuclide intake to grazing animals in the Semipalatinsk Test Site. For 241Am there is a lack of available data, the two singular entries for mutton and beef in the IAEA handbook are higher than all values observed in the current study. The maximum observed transfer factor for 241Am was 72 ± 22*10-5 d kg-1 FW in the liver of the mare fed with leachate contaminated feed. For 239+240Pu the maximum transfer factor was 31.8 ± 8*10-5 d kg-1 FW observed also in the liver of the mare fed with leachate contaminated feed. The filly fed with leachate contaminated feed had the highest transfer parameter value for 137Cs, 35.3*10-3 d kg-1 FW. The highest 90Sr transfer factor was found in the ribs of the filly fed leachate contaminated feed, 720 ± 144 *10-3 d kg-1 FW. The results presented in this paper can be used to improve the current internal dose estimates from the ingestion of horse meat produced in the area, however they are based on a low sample size; future studies need to use a larger number of animals.

Concentrations of 137Cs radiocaesium in the organs and tissues of low-dose-exposed wild Japanese monkeys.

OBJECTIVES: Following the massive earthquake that struck eastern Japan on March 11, 2011, a large amount of radioactive material was released into the environment from the damaged reactor of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP). After the FDNPP accident, radiocaesium was first detected in muscle samples from wild Japanese monkeys exposed to radioactive materials, and haematologic effects, changes in head size, and delayed body weight gain were also reported, but little is known about the distribution of 137Cs in the organs and tissues of wild Japanese monkeys. RESULTS: We detected the 137Cs in various organ and tissue samples of 10 wild Japanese monkeys inhabiting the forested areas of Fukushima City that were captured between July and August 2012. Among muscle, brain, heart, kidney, liver, lung, and spleen, muscle exhibited the highest and the brain the lowest 137Cs concentration. The concentration (mean ± SD) of 137Cs in muscle, brain, heart, kidney, liver, lung, and spleen was 77 ± 66, 26 ± 22, 41 ± 35, 49 ± 41, 41 ± 38, 53 ± 41, and 53 ± 51 Bq/kg, respectively. These results can help us understand the biological effects of long-term internal radiation exposure in non-human primates.

Co-exposure to internal and external radiation alters cesium biokinetics and retention in mice.

Exposures in post-accidental situations are complex and include both external exposure and internal contamination with several radionuclides. However, in vivo and in vitro studies generally use simplified exposures, while a recent study suggested that combined external irradiation and internal contamination may induce more severe biological effects compared to single exposures. In an attempt to test the hypothesis of potential non-additive effects of multiple radiological exposures, we used a mouse model of combined external x-ray irradiation at 1 and 5 Gy and internal contamination with injection of 20 KBq 137Cs. The results showed differential kinetics of 137Cs elimination in irradiated animals compared to sham-irradiated, 137Cs injected animals. Moreover, changes in plasma potassium and in relative testis weight were observed 38 days after irradiation and injection in co-exposed animals compared to 137Cs injection alone. These results demonstrate that an external exposure combined with an internal contamination may lead to unexpected changes in biokinetics of radionuclides and biological effects compared to single exposures.

Long term investigation of 137Cs in chicken meat and eggs from northwest Croatia.

This paper presents the results of long-term investigations of 137Cs activity concentrations in chicken meat and eggs from northwest Croatia for the period 1987-2018. The research has been done as a part of monitoring program of radioactive contamination in Croatia. The highest activity concentrations in both of these foodstuffs were measured in 1987 and have been decreasing exponentially ever since. The Fukushima-Daiichi accident in 2011 did not cause any increase of 137Cs activity concentrations. The ecological half-life for 137Cs was estimated to be 8.0 and 8.4 years for chicken meat and eggs respectively. The correlation between 137Cs in fallout and chicken meat as well as between 137Cs in fallout and eggs is very good, the respective correlation coefficients being 0.79 and 0.72, indicating that fallout was the main source of 137Cs contamination in both foodstuffs. The estimated effective doses received by adult members of the Croatian population due to the intake of radiocaesium by chicken meat and egg consumption for the overall observed period are very small, 2.0 and 0.6 µSv respectively. Therefore, chicken meat and chicken egg consumption was not a critical pathway for the transfer of radiocaesium to humans.

Removal of radioactive cesium from an aqueous solution via bioaccumulation by microalgae and magnetic separation.

We evaluated the potential sequestration of cesium (Cs+) by microalgae under heterotrophic growth conditions in an attempt to ultimately develop a system for treatment of radioactive wastewater. Thus, we examined the effects of initial Cs+ concentration (100-500 µM), pH (5-9), K+ and Na+ concentrations (0-20 mg/L), and different organic carbon sources (acetate, glycerol, glucose) on Cs+ removal. Our initial comparison of nine microalgae indicated that Desmodesmus armatus SCK had removed the most Cs+ under various environmental conditions. Addition of organic substrates significantly enhanced Cs+ uptake by D. armatus, even in the presence of a competitive cation (K+). We also applied magnetic nanoparticles coated with a cationic polymer (polyethylenimine) to separate 137Cs-containing microalgal biomass under a magnetic field. Our technique of combining bioaccumulation and magnetic separation successfully removed more than 90% of the radioactive 137Cs from an aqueous medium. These results clearly demonstrate that the method described here is a promising bioremediation technique for treatment of radioactive liquid waste.

Effect of dose and dose rate on temporal γ-H2AX kinetics in mouse blood and spleen mononuclear cells in vivo following Cesium-137 administration.

BACKGROUND: Cesium-137 (137Cs) is one of the major and most clinically relevant radionuclides of concern in a radiological dispersal device, "dirty bomb" scenario as well as in nuclear accidents and detonations. In this exposure scenario, a significant amount of soluble radionuclide(s) may be dispersed into the atmosphere as a component of fallout. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the effect of protracted 137Cs radionuclide exposures on DNA damage in mouse blood and spleen mononuclear cells (MNCs) in vivo using the γ-H2AX biomarker, and to develop a mathematical formalism for these processes. RESULTS: C57BL/6 mice were injected with a range of 137CsCl activities (5.74, 6.66, 7.65 and 9.28 MBq) to achieve total-body committed doses of ~ 4 Gy at Days 3, 5, 7, and 14. Close to 50% of 137Cs was excreted by day 5, leading to a slower rate of decay for the remaining time of the study; 137Cs excretion kinetics were independent of activity level within the tested range, and the absorbed radiation dose was determined by injected activity and time after injection. Measurements of γ-H2AX fluorescence in blood and spleen MNCs at each time point were used to develop a new biodosimetric mathematical formalism to estimate injected activity based on γ-H2AX fluorescence and time after injection. The formalism performed reasonably well on blood data at 2-5 days after injection: Pearson and Spearman's correlation coefficients between actual and predicted activity values were 0.857 (p = 0.00659) and 0.929 (p = 0.00223), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the complicated nature of the studied biological system and the time-dependent changes in radiation dose and dose rate due to radionuclide excretion and other processes, we have used the γ-H2AX repair kinetics to develop a mathematical formalism, which can relatively accurately predict injected 137Cs activity 2-5 days after initial exposure. To determine the assay's usefulness to predict retrospective absorbed dose for medical triage, further studies are required to validate the sensitivity and accuracy of the γ-H2AX response after protracted exposures.

Accumulation of 137Cs by Carnivorous Aquatic Macrophytes (Utricularia spp.) on the Savannah River Site.

Plants are an important mode of transfer of contaminants from sediments into food webs. In aquatic ecosystems, contaminant uptake by macrophytes can vary by path of nutrient uptake (roots vs. absorption from water column). Carnivorous plants likely have additional exposure through consumption of small aquatic organisms. This study expanded on previous research suggesting that bladderworts (Genus Utricularia) accumulate radiocesium (137Cs) and examined for (1) a potential association between sediment and plant concentrations and (2) differences in 137Cs accumulation among rooted and free floating Utricularia species. A strong correlation was found between average 137Cs concentrations in all Utricularia species (combined) and sediments (rs = 0.9, p = 0.0374). Among three bladderwort species at common sites, Utricularia floridana, the only rooted species, had higher mean 137Cs concentrations than Utricularia purpurea, and U. purpurea had a greater mean 137Cs concentration than Utricularia inflata.

Complexes of myo-Inositol-Hexakisphosphate (IP6) with Zinc or Lanthanum for the Decorporation of Radiocesium.

Radioactive nuclides leak into the surrounding environment after nuclear power plant disasters, such as the Chernobyl accident and the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster. Cesium-137 (137Cs) (t1/2=30.1 year), a water-soluble radionuclide with a long physical half-life, contaminates aquatic ecosystems and food products. In humans, 137Cs concentrates in muscle tissue and has a long biological half-life, indicating it may be harmful. myo-Inositol-hexakisphosphate (IP6) is a compound found in grain, beans, and oil seeds. IP6 has the ability to form insoluble complexes with metals, including lanthanum (La) and zinc (Zn). We hypothesized that La-IP6 and Zn-IP6 may promote the elimination of 137Cs from the body through the adsorption of La-IP6 and Zn-IP6 to 137Cs in the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the adsorptive capacity of La-IP6 and Zn-IP6 complexes with 137Cs in vitro and in vivo. La-IP6 and Zn-IP6 complexes were stable in acidic solution (pH 1.2) at 37°C. In vitro binding assays indicated that La-IP6 and Zn-IP6 complexes adsorbed 137Cs, with the adsorption capacity of Zn-IP6 to 137Cs greater than that of La-IP6. To evaluate the usefulness of La-IP6 and Zn-IP6 in vivo, La-IP6 or Zn-IP6 was administrated to mice after intravenous injection of 137Cs. However, the biodistribution of 137Cs in the La-IP6 treated group and the Zn-IP6 treated group was nearly identical to the non-treated control group, indicating that La-IP6 and Zn-IP6 were not effective at promoting the elimination of 137Cs in vivo.

Growth and (137)Cs uptake and accumulation among 56 Japanese cultivars of Brassica rapa, Brassica juncea and Brassica napus grown in a contaminated field in Fukushima: Effect of inoculation with a Bacillus pumilus strain.

Fifty six local Japanese cultivars of Brassica rapa (40 cultivars), Brassica juncea (10 cultivars) and Brassica napus (6 cultivars) were assessed for variability in growth and (137)Cs uptake and accumulation in association with a Bacillus pumilus strain. Field trial was conducted at a contaminated farmland in Nihonmatsu city, in Fukushima prefecture. Inoculation resulted in different responses of the cultivars in terms of growth and radiocesium uptake and accumulation. B. pumilus induced a significant increase in shoot dry weight in 12 cultivars that reached up to 40% in one B. rapa and three B. juncea cultivars. Differences in radiocesium uptake were observed between the cultivars of each Brassica species. Generally, inoculation resulted in a significant increase in (137)Cs uptake in 22 cultivars, while in seven cultivars it was significantly decreased. Regardless of plant cultivar and bacterial inoculation, the transfer of (137)Cs to the plant shoots (TF) varied by a factor of up to 5 and it ranged from to 0.011 to 0.054. Five inoculated cultivars, showed enhanced shoot dry weights and decreased (137)Cs accumulations, among which two B. rapa cultivars named Bitamina and Nozawana had a significantly decreased (137)Cs accumulation in their shoots. Such cultivars could be utilized to minimize the entry of radiocesium into the food chain; however, verifying the consistency of their radiocesium accumulation in other soils is strongly required. Moreover, the variations in growth and radiocesium accumulation, as influenced by Bacillus inoculation, could help selecting well grown inoculated Brassica cultivars with low radiocesium accumulation in their shoots.

Consideration on the Long Ecological Half-Life Component of (137)Cs in Demersal Fish Based on Field Observation Results Obtained after the Fukushima Accident.

Radiocesium concentrations in most marine fish collected off the coast of Fukushima and surrounding prefectures have decreased with time, and four years after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident occurred, radiocesium concentrations have generally fallen below the detectable level (ca. < 10 Bq kg(-1)-raw). Only in some demersal fish species have detectable concentration levels still been found, and even these species have showed slow radiocesium decreases. The food web was considered as the major factor causing this phenomenon; however, slow elimination rates of radiocesium from these fish species also could be the cause. The latter effect was examined by considering that the (137)Cs concentration decreasing trend in fish could be fit with a set of three exponentially decreasing components; that is, having short, intermediate, and long biological half-lives. The long ecological half-life component was calculated using a 400-1500 d period of monitoring results for Japanese rockfish (Sebastes cheni) and compared with previous reported laboratory results for biological half-life. The obtained ecological half-lives ranged from 274-365 d, and these values agreed with the biological half-life of this fish species. This result implied that the long biological half-lives of radiocesium in some demersal fish species made their radiocesium contamination periods longer.

Two-Compartment Kinetic Modeling of Radiocesium Accumulation in Marine Bivalves under Hypothetical Exposure Regimes.

Interpreting the variable concentrations of (137)Cs in the field biological samples requires mechanistic understanding of both environmental and biological behavior of (137)Cs. In this study, we used a two-compartment model to estimate and compare the (137)Cs biokinetics in three species of subtropical marine bivalves. Significant interspecific difference of (137)Cs biokinetics was observed among oysters, mussels, and scallops. There was considerable (137)Cs assimilation from phytoplankton in the bivalves, but the calculated trophic transfer factors were generally between 0.04 and 0.4. We demonstrated a major efflux of radiocesium in the scallops (with a rate constant of 0.207 d(-1)), whereas the efflux was comparable between oysters and mussels (0.035-0.038 d(-1)). A two-compartment kinetic model was developed to simulate the (137)Cs accumulation in the three bivalves under four hypothetical exposure regimes. We showed that the bivalves respond differently to the exposure regimes in terms of time to reach equilibrium, equilibrium concentration, and maximum concentration. Bivalves suffering more frequent intermittent exposure may have higher maximum concentrations than those receiving less frequent exposure. The interspecific difference of (137)Cs accumulation in bivalves has important implications for biomonitoring and implementing management techniques. This study represents one of the first attempts to combine both dissolved and dietary pathways to give a realistic simulation of (137)Cs accumulation in marine bivalves under dynamic exposure regimes.

Comparison of Absorbents and Drugs for Internal Decorporation of Radiocesium: Advances of Polyvinyl Alcohol Hydrogel Microsphere Preparations Containing Magnetite and Prussian Blue.

Radiocesium nuclides, used as a gamma ray source in various types of industrial equipments and found in nuclear waste, are strictly controlled to avoid their leakage into the environment. When large amounts of radiocesium are accidentally incorporated into the human body, decorporation therapy should be considered. Although standard decorporation methods have been studied since the 1960s and were established in the 1970s with the drug Radiogardase(®) (a Prussian blue preparation), application of recent advances in pharmacokinetics and ethical standards could improve these methods. Here we designed a modern dosage form of hydrogel containing cesium-absorbents to alleviate intestinal mucosa irritation due to the cesium-binding capacity of the absorbents. The effectiveness of the dosage form on fecal excretion was confirmed by quantitative mouse experiments. The total cesium excretion rate of the crystal form (1.37±0.09) was improved by the hydrogel form (1.52±0.10) at the same dose of Prussian blue, with a longer gastrointestinal tract transit time. Using a mouse model, we compared the effects of several drugs on fecal and urinary excretion of internal cesium, without the use of absorbents. Only phenylephrine hydrochloride significantly enhanced cesium excretion (excretion rate of 1.17±0.08) via the urinary pathway, whereas none of the diuretic drugs tested had this effect. These findings indicate that modifying the dosage form of cesium absorbents is important for the decorporation of internal radiocesium contamination.

Cancer Cell Radiobiological Studies Using In-House-Developed α-Particle Irradiator.

An α-particle irradiator, enabling high-precision irradiation of cells for in vitro studies, has been constructed. The irradiation source was a (241)Am source, on which well inserts containing cancer cells growing in monolayer were placed. The total radioactivity, uniformity, and α-particle spectrum were determined by use of HPGe detector, Gafchromic dosimetry film, and PIPS detector measurements, respectively. Monte Carlo simulations were used for dosimetry. Three prostate cancer (LNCaP, DU145, PC3) and three pancreatic cancer (Capan-1, Panc-1, BxPC-3) cell lines were irradiated by α-particles to the absorbed doses 0, 0.5, 1, and 2 Gy. For reference, cells were irradiated using (137)Cs to the absorbed doses 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 Gy. Radiation sensitivity was estimated using a tetrazolium salt-based colorimetric assay with absorbance measurements at 450 nm. The relative biological effectiveness for α-particles relative to γ-irradiation at 37% cell survival for the LNCaP, DU145, PC3, Capan-1, Panc-1, and BxPC-3 cells was 7.9 ± 1.7, 8.0 ± 0.8, 7.0 ± 1.1, 12.5 ± 1.6, 9.4 ± 0.9, and 6.2 ± 0.7, respectively. The results show the feasibility of constructing a desktop α-particle irradiator as well as indicate that both prostate and pancreatic cancers are good candidates for further studies of α-particle radioimmunotherapy.

(137)Cs, (40)K and (210)Po in marine mammals from the southern Baltic Sea.

This study provides information on baseline concentrations of the radionuclides Cesium-137, Potassium-40 and Polonium-210 in sea mammals from the Baltic Sea. The radionuclides were analyzed in the liver, kidney and muscle of harbor porpoises, striped dolphins, and gray and ringed seals from the Polish coast by γ- and α-spectrometry. Median (137)Cs activities were 14.8, 13.2 and 23.2 Bq kg(-1) w.w. in the liver, kidney and muscles, respectively. Activities of (40)K and (210)Po in the respective tissues were found to be 79.1, 79.8 and 111 Bq kg(-1) for (40)K and 58.1, 59.2 and 32.9 Bq kg(-1) for (210)Po. The measured (137)Cs concentrations were extraordinarily high in comparison to those reported in sea mammals from other locations. However, dose assessments did not imply health effects from (137)Cs exposure in Baltic Sea mammals. Correlations between (137)Cs tissue activities and reported sea water concentrations highlight the potential use of marine mammals for biomonitoring purposes.

A Monte Carlo calibration of a whole body counter using the ICRP computational phantoms.

A fast and versatile calibration of a whole body counter (WBC) is presented. The WBC, consisting of four large plastic scintillators, is to be used for measurements after accident or other incident involving ionising radiation. The WBC was calibrated using Monte Carlo modelling and the ICRP computational phantoms. The Monte Carlo model of the WBC was made in GATE, v6.2 (Geant4 Application for Tomographic Emission) and MATLAB. The Monte Carlo model was verified by comparing simulated energy spectrum and simulated counting efficiency with experimental energy spectrum and experimental counting efficiency for high-energy monoenergetic gamma-emitting point sources. The simulated results were in good agreement with experimental results except when compared with experimental results from high dead-time (DT) measurements. The Monte Carlo calibration was made for a heterogeneous source distribution of (137)Cs and (40)K, respectively, inside the ICRP computational phantoms. The source distribution was based on the biokinetic model for (137)Cs.

Parameter uncertainty analysis of a biokinetic model of caesium.

Parameter uncertainties for the biokinetic model of caesium (Cs) developed by Leggett et al. were inventoried and evaluated. The methods of parameter uncertainty analysis were used to assess the uncertainties of model predictions with the assumptions of model parameter uncertainties and distributions. Furthermore, the importance of individual model parameters was assessed by means of sensitivity analysis. The calculated uncertainties of model predictions were compared with human data of Cs measured in blood and in the whole body. It was found that propagating the derived uncertainties in model parameter values reproduced the range of bioassay data observed in human subjects at different times after intake. The maximum ranges, expressed as uncertainty factors (UFs) (defined as a square root of ratio between 97.5th and 2.5th percentiles) of blood clearance, whole-body retention and urinary excretion of Cs predicted at earlier time after intake were, respectively: 1.5, 1.0 and 2.5 at the first day; 1.8, 1.1 and 2.4 at Day 10 and 1.8, 2.0 and 1.8 at Day 100; for the late times (1000 d) after intake, the UFs were increased to 43, 24 and 31, respectively. The model parameters of transfer rates between kidneys and blood, muscle and blood and the rate of transfer from kidneys to urinary bladder content are most influential to the blood clearance and to the whole-body retention of Cs. For the urinary excretion, the parameters of transfer rates from urinary bladder content to urine and from kidneys to urinary bladder content impact mostly. The implication and effect on the estimated equivalent and effective doses of the larger uncertainty of 43 in whole-body retention in the later time, say, after Day 500 will be explored in a successive work in the framework of EURADOS.

[Reduction of 137caesium contamination in wild boars by supplementing offered food with ammonium-iron-hexa-cyanoferrate]. / Reduktion der 137Cäsium-Aktivität in Wildschweinen durch Zusatz von Ammonium-Eisen-Hexacyanoferrat ("Berliner Blau") zum Kirrfutter.

OBJECTIVE: This replication study investigated whether the 137caesium (137Cs) contamination of wild boars could be relevantly reduced under field conditions by adding ammonium-iron-hexa-cyanoferrate (AFCF; Prussian blue) to the food. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In 285 wild boars that had been shot in six Bavarian hunting territories during the season (November until May) between 01 November 2010 and 10 December 2011 137Cs contamination was analysed. Thirty-five animals originated from two hunting territories in which offered food had been supplemented with 1250 mg AFCF per kilogram food. RESULTS: The control animals showed a mean 137Cs contamination of 522 Bq/kg lean skeletal muscle meat. Direct (univariable) comparisons of the two experimental territories with the four control territories yielded a mean reduction in 137Cs contamination due to Prussian bluefeeding by -211 Bq/kg (p < 0.001). Multivariable models that took potential confounders into account (age, weight, sex, hunting date, territory) estimated the effect to be -344 Bq/kg (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This replication study confirmed the finding of Kienzle et al. (12) who described a statistically significant reduction in 137Cs contamination by -380 Bq/kg due to the feeding of Prussian blue in other territories.