Monte Carlo simulations to calculate energy doses in a cow after continuous ingestion of CS 137 and K 40

Currently ICRP (International Commission on Radiological Protection) develops a new recommendation to estimate the natural radiation exposure of an agreed set of animals and reference plants. For estimating effective dose in humans and animals, the incorporated activities of natural and artificial radionuclides in body tissues and contents of the digestive system have to be known. It was the aim of this investigation to calculate energy doses caused by Cs 137 and K 40 in the reproductive organs (uterus, ovaries) of a cow. During its whole lifetime from 1986 to 1992, the cow incorporated continuously Cs 137 which was due to the fallout following the Chernobyl accident. K 40 occurs naturally in the cow's fodder. The cow was born in a highly contaminated region of Styria, Austria, and was infertile since 1990. The activities of Cs 137 and K 40 in the cow's fodder and in tissues, organs and contents of the digestive system of the carcass were measured simultaneously with the help of semiconductor detectors. To calculate the specific absorbed fractions by means of the Monte Carlo code MCNP, an appropriate simulation model for the reproductive organs and their surrounding tissues was developed. The contents of rectum and urinary bladder account for the main part of the energy dose in the reproductive organs. Comparison of our results with data from other investigations showed, that lifetime accumulation of Cs 137 and K 40 was too low to cause radiation inferred infertility. (orig.)