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Plutonium Mobility in Soil and Uptake in Plants: A Review¹

ABSTRACT

A survey of the published literature pertaining to the movement of plutonium in soil and uptake in plants reveals that a major portion of the investigations pertain to soils developed under arid or semiarid climates. In some instances subsoil samples were used to describe plutonium adsorption characteristics and often short-term greenhouse experiments were used to predict plant uptake. Some recent long-term greenhouse studies indicate a substantially greater plant uptake of plutonium from a highly contaminated soil after 5 years of cropping as compared to the first year. It appears the most likely mode of plutonium entry into food chains leading to man would be that chelated with naturally occurring organic soil components. Chelation mechanisms have not been established.

Key Words: chelation • plant uptake • adsorption • discrimination factor

¹ Research sponsored by the U. S. Atomic Energy Comm. under contract with the Union Carbide Co.

² Senior research scientist, Environmental Sciences Div., Oak Ridge Nat'l. Lab., Oak Ridge, Tenn. 37830.

Received for publication February 25, 1972.