Record Display for the EPA National Library Catalog

RECORD NUMBER: 33 OF 62

Main Title Plutonium Uptake by Plants from Soil Containing Plutonium-238 Dioxide Particles.
Author Brown, K. W. ; McFarlane, J. C. ;
CORP Author Environmental Monitoring and Support Lab., Las Vegas, NV.
Year Published 1978
Report Number EPA/600/J-78/115;
Stock Number PB-298 548
Additional Subjects Plant growth ; Plutonium 238 ; Soils ; Plants(Botany) ; Radioactive isotopes ; Exposure ; Transuranium elements ; Radioactive isotopes ; Reprints ; Uptake ; Bioaccumulation
Holdings
Library Call Number Additional Info Location Last
Modified
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Status
NTIS  PB-298 548 Some EPA libraries have a fiche copy filed under the call number shown. 07/26/2022
Collation 8p
Abstract
Three plant species--alfalfa, lettuce, and radishes--were grown in soils contaminated with plutonium-238 dioxide (238PuO2) 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.