Plutonium 241Pu in tissues and organs of Cervidae from Northern Poland

Abstract

Abstract Livers, kidneys and muscles of large herbivorous animals: roe deer, red deer and fallow deer, collected in Northern Poland, were the subject of the investigation. The concentration of 241Pu ranged widely between 1.31 ± 0.28 and 214.5 ± 25.8 mBq kg –1 ww and decreased in the order kidney > liver > muscle. The average values of the activity concentrations of 241Pu were 11.5 ± 1.8 mBq kg –1 ww in muscles, 14.0 ± 2.25 mBq kg –1 ww in liver and 85.5 ± 9.7 mBq kg –1 ww in kidneys. As statistically checked the sampling location, sex, age and species of animals did not influence on plutonium concentrations of the analyzed samples. Only the organ type significantly influenced 241Pu content. The values of 241Pu/29+240Pu activity ratio in analyzed samples ranged from 7.12 ± 2.15 to 99.3 ± 16.4 and the results showed the main source of plutonium in analyzed organs could be the Chernobyl accident.