ML19241B357
| ML19241B357 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 05/15/1979 |
| From: | Vanmiddlesworth TENNESSEE, UNIV. OF, KNOXVILLE, TN |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19241B356 | List: |
| References | |
| ZAR-790515, NUDOCS 7907160208 | |
| Download: ML19241B357 (6) | |
Text
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UNEXPECTED I3I I IN ENGLISH SHEEP
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. L. Van Middlesverth f/WY
!b Department of Physiology and Biophysics University of Tennessee Center for the Health S i c ences 89k Union Avenue Memphis,, Tennessee 38163 552'230
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$NU A small quantity of well-identified 131I was found in thyroids of sheep killed in Birmingham, England, thirty-two days after the accident at Th ree Mlle Island.
However, no 131 I was found in hunan or cattle thyroids from Philadelphia
, PA.
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5515.
For the past 25 years, we have continuously monitored 131I in an4= 1 thyroids
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hom many sources (1, 2).
During the six veeks following the announced nuclear accident at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania (PA) (3), animal and human thyro e
also been monitored from Philadelphia, PA.
No thyroids vere available to this labo-ratory from the 12=nediate vicinity of the accident.
All thyroids vere tested in a 5" ceintillation crystal with a 1" vell and co unt-ed for at least 80 minutes as described in 1975 (1).
When radioactivity was found or suspected, a 200-channel gam'a spectrum was accu =alated for 1000 minutes
, between 0.07 and 0 7 MeV.
No detectable 131I (<0.1 pCi/g) vas found in any of 16 human thyroids from Philadelphia or in 12 human thyroids from Memphis, obtained from April 3 April 21 from subjects k months to 75 years old. No 131I was found in thyroids of 18 cattle slaughtered in Philadelphia or k0 cattle from Memphis from April 12 t One 6roup of 20 sheep thyroids from Birmingham, England, slaughtered Ap contained 131 I
The quantity was =m11, but confirmatory gaz=sa spectra were obtained on four of five groups of the glands.
Table 1 su=sarir,es the data and compares the values with recent m v4 m and minima measured during the past 19 months.
It may be difficult to prove the ori in of the April 30 increment of 6
131I in Engl'ish sheep; the quantity was low and the half-life only eight days.
It is curious that no 131 I was found in cattle slau6 tered in Philadelphia, but most of those h
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cattle are believed to have ori 1nated west of Three Mile Island.
6 The amount of radioiodine found in English sheep of April 30 was similar to the f,
amount found in English sheep in January,1979, and only 1.3% of the amount found in April,1978, and 0 3% of the amount found in October,1977 b
b el 9
The possibility n:ust be considered that 131 1 found in sheep thyroids from Eng-
' land in April, 1979, may have originated at Th ree Mile Island, PA; however, the 13II could have been released at a different unknown and almos source. Eithe:
case shows the inportance of continuous nonitoring of animal thyroid s as long as nuclear fission is utilized anywhere.
L. Van Middlesworth Departnent of Physiology and Biophysics University of Tennessee Center for the Health Sciences 894 Union Avenue Memphis, Tennessee 38163 552233
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.3 Table 1.
Recent naxima and minima of 131 Tennessee, compared to increases in England during AprilI in anir
, 1979.
Slaughter Date Average i SD pCi 131I/g thyroid i
(10-20 glands each date)
{
Year Ho.
Day English sheep Tennessee cattle Chinese nuclear tests in atmosphere (k) 1977 9
15
<0.1
<0.1 :..
10 18 200 1 59' 338 11 1978 2
28
<0.1
<0.1 4
3 52 17' Fach 14 7
24
<0.1 97 1 85*
<0.1 10 31 1.3 1 1.1**
[ unknown source]
<0.1 12 11
<0.1
<0.1 December 1h 1979 1
2 0 5 1 0.2 1.1 1 0.T' 1
21 15 1 0.03'
<0.1 2
12 0.1 3
18
<0.1
<0.1
<0.1 March 28, accidental relea se began at Three Mile Island, PA (3)--.....
k 15
<0.1 4
23 0.2 + 0.1
<0.1 4
30 07303'
<0.1
<0.1
' Identity of 131 I confirmed by y spectra.
ee131 I confirmed by y spectra on cattle from Ulm, Germany Mty no spectral information obtained on these English sheep.
, on October 12, 19T8 C
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Beferences 1.
L. Van Middlesworth. Nucleonics g : 56 (1954); science 123 Physics 2: 119T (1963); Health Physics 21: 861 (1975). Add are listed in these reports.
2.
Grateful appreciation is expressed to the following corr espondents for supplying animal thyroids:
Mr. A. Wilson and Mr. J. D. Pensel, Chief Veterinary Offi Environnental Health Departnent, BirminS am, England; and D s.
h Germany.
- r. Ulrich Icos Ulm, 3.
Arnounced by Associated Press.
k.
Announced by Department of Energy, Washington
, D. C.
5.
This investigation was supported in part by USPHS En:=e M
r Research Award SK06 AM 00h0-15 and by research contract DE-AS05-76EV01643 fr Energy.
om the U. S. Departnent of b
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