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Model for the accumulation of radionuclides in oysters and sediments

Abstract

THE time variation of the concentration of γ-ray emitting radionuclides has been measured and modelled in a stable population of American oysters (C. virginica), and associated estuarine sediments. Radionuclide concentrations were measured for the natural radionuclides 212Pb and 40K and for the man-made radionuclides 58Co, 60Co, 54Mn, 95Nb, 134Cs and 137Cs using a Ge(Li) detector with a massive lead shield and multichannel analyser. Measured concentrations of the most abundant man-made radionuclides observed in this study (58Co, 60Co, and 54Mn) were compared with concentrations calculated with a mathematical model for the accumulation and loss of these radionuclides by oysters and sediments.

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HESS, C., SMITH, C. & PRICE, A. Model for the accumulation of radionuclides in oysters and sediments. Nature 258, 225–226 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/258225a0

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