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Uptake by Sagebrush of Uranium Progeny Injected In Situ¹

ABSTRACT

Uptake of ²²⁶Ra, ²¹⁰Pb, and ²¹⁰Po in mature big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) was studied in the environs of a U mine in Shirley Basin, WY. Radionuclide solutions were injected into the soil to elevate the soil activity while minimizing root disturbance and preventing soil surface contamination. The objectives of this study were to measure the concentration in leaves resulting from root uptake as a function of time and to determine the equilibrium concentration ratio (CR) for each radionuclide. The vegetation was sampled approximately every 90 d for a 2-yr period. The maximum internal plant concentration of ²²⁶Ra, ²¹⁰Pb, and ²¹⁰Po was detected at the first sampling (81 d after soil injection for ²²⁶Ra, 28 d for ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po). The concentration in leaves decreased over time following the first sampling to an apparent steady-state value. The steady-state CR values for ²²⁶Ra, ²¹⁰Pb, and ²¹⁰⁰Po, as determined in mature sagebrush, were approximately 0.04, 0.009, and 0.08, respectively, and were determined as the geometric mean (GM) of the CR data pooled over the 2nd-yr period. The CR data were fit by nonlinear least squares to a exponential function that decreased with time to a constant value.

Key Words: Ra • Pb • Po • radiological assessment • Artemisia tridentata

¹ Research support from DOE Contract DE-AC02-79EV10305 with Colorado State Univ.

² Research Assistant and Associate Professor, Dep. of Radiology and Radiation Biology, Colorado State Univ., Ft. Collins, CO 80523.

Received for publication August 16, 1985.