Plutonium distribution in various tissues of fish from a contaminated pond-canal system in the midwestern United States

A system of canals and ponds exists near the Mound Laboratory in Miamisburg, Ohio, which contains high concentrations of 238Pu in the sediments (up to approximately 0.5 nCi/g) and overlying waters as a result of a spill in 1969. The system contains several species of fish which represent a possible food source for man. The tissue distribution of 238Pu within specimens of gizzard shad, bluegill, crappie, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, black bullhead, and carp was determined. The results of this study indicate that there is little transfer of plutonium to the muscle and skin of freshwater fish even though the fish have lived in a relatively contaminated environment. As these are the tissues most often consumed, it would appear that there is little transfer of plutonium through this pathway to man