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ANIMAL INVESTIGATION PROGRAM 1978 ANNUAL REPORT: NEVADA TEST SITE AND VICINITY
Citation:
Smith, D., D. Bernhardt, AND K. Giles. ANIMAL INVESTIGATION PROGRAM 1978 ANNUAL REPORT: NEVADA TEST SITE AND VICINITY. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/3-80/096 (NTIS DOEDP0059038).
Description:
Data are presented from the radioanalysis of tissues collected from cattle and wildlife that resided on or near the Nevada Test Site. Gamma-emitting radionuclides were detected infrequently with the exception of short-lived radionuclides found in samples from animals collected soon after a nuclear test by the People's Republic of China. Plutonium and Strontium-90 concentrations in tissues from deer, cattle, and desert bighorn sheep were consistent with those of recent years. Tritium concentrations were generally within expected environmental limits with the exception of animals exposed to sources of contamination. Radionuclide tissue concentrations were generally higher in the tissues of animals residing in Area 15 than in similar animals collected from other Nevada Test Site areas. Hypothetical dose estimates to man were calculated on the basis of the daily consumption of 0.5 kilogram of liver or muscle from animals that contained peak radionuclide levels. The highest postulated dose was 1.4 millirems for tritium in tissues from a mule deer. The movements of 13 mule deer outfitted with collars containing a radio transmitter unit were monitored on a weekly basis. During the winter deer left their summer range and migrated 40 to 60 kilometers south and west. A deer originally captured in 1977 was killed by hunters approximately 120 kilometers from its capture point. No gross or microscopic lesions were found in necropsied animals that could be directly attributed to the effects of ionizing radiation.