The transfer of 137Cs and 60Co from feed to pork

The transfer of 137Cs and 60Co from fodder to meat and other organs was studied in growing pigs. The influence of two different feeding methods (potato and grain) commonly used in Germany was investigated. The radionuclides were transferred into plants by root uptake and these were fed once a day, all at once, to young pigs until they reached maturity. In this manner, the radioactivity was administered to the pigs in a similar chemical form as would occur after radioactive contamination of soil. It is demonstrated that the two feeding practices have only a minor influence on transfer coefficients, which were determined to be ≤0.002 days/kg for 60Co in meat and in the ranges 0.18-0.26 (potato-feeding) and 0.17-0.33 days/kg (grain-feeding), respectively, for 137Cs in different components of the meat; the transfer coefficients for 137Cs into different organs range from 0.06 to 0.24 days/kg after potato-feeding and from 0.12 to 0.29 after grain-feeding. (author)