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PLUTONIUM UPTAKE BY PLANTS FROM SOIL CONTAINING PLUTONIUM-238 DIOXIDE PARTICLES
Citation:
Brown, K. AND J. McFarlane. PLUTONIUM UPTAKE BY PLANTS FROM SOIL CONTAINING PLUTONIUM-238 DIOXIDE PARTICLES. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/3-77/052 (NTIS PB268000).
Description:
Three plant species--alfalfa, lettuce, and radishes were grown in soils contaminated with plutonium-238 dioxide (238)PuO2 at concentrations of 23, 69, 92, and 342 nanocuries per gram (nCi/g). The length of exposure varied from 60 days for the lettuce and radishes to 358 days for the alfalfa. The magnitude of plutonium incorporation as indicated by the discrimination ratios for these species, after being exposed to the relatively insoluble PuO2, was similar to previously reported data using different chemical forms of plutonium. Evidence indicates that the predominant factor in plutonium uptake by plants may involve the chelation of plutonium contained in the soils by the action of compounds such as citric acid and/or other similar chelating agents released from the plant roots.