Cesium-137 from the environment to man: metabolism and dose - approved 1977

Data on 137Cs present in world-wide fallout are reviewed with reference to movement in the environment and food chains and its entry into humans. Seasonal fluctuations in deposition and in dietary levels, effects of soil type on the levels in vegetation, the early relations of these levels to deposition, and the later emergence of evidence of root uptake by plants and the time lag between deposition and dietary levels have been noted. Particular environments and ecosystems showing levels higher than usual have been indicated. The maximum permissible levels for concentrations of 137Cs in air and water for occupational exposure do not differ significantly from previously recommended levels. A small number of studies of effects of 137Cs on animals suggests that the whole body of the animal is substantially irradiated, and the results of these studies are in general agreement with other studies of effects of low-LET radiation