Determination of the ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr radioisotope activity concentrations found in digestive organs of sheep fed with different feeds

In this study, 12 weanling lambs were fed for 6 months at the Vetenary Control and Research Institute of Elazığ in Turkey. Sheep were divided into two groups according to feeding type. Each group of sheep was fed a different amount of feed. The activity concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr were determined in rumen, small intestine and large intestine tissue samples of sheep fed various feeds and quantities. Transfer coefficients and concentration ratios were estimated. The highest average ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr activity concentrations were 82 ± 22 Bq kg⁻¹ fw in the straw group small intestine sample and 74 ± 9.0 Bq kg⁻¹ fw in the fresh lucerne group rumen sample, respectively. Radioactivity levels for ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr are under the maximum permitted radioactive pollution level for all the samples. The transfer coefficient of ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr in the samples of sheep ranged from 1.0 × 10⁻¹ to 2.1 × 10⁰ d kg⁻¹ and 1.7 × 10⁻¹ to 2.3 × 10⁰ d kg⁻¹, respectively. Calculated transfer coefficients of ⁹⁰Sr and ¹³⁷Cs in the samples of sheep were higher than the expected values. Geometric means of F_f and CR for ¹³⁷Cs were maximum in the fresh lucerne group large intestine sample. Geometric means of F_f and CR for ⁹⁰Sr were maximum in the fresh lucerne group small intestine sample. - Highlights: • Radioactivity, transfer coefficients and transfer factors determined in the samples of some sheep feeding in various feeds. • Radionuclide concentration changes in direct proportion to amounts of the feed. • ¹³⁷Cs, ⁹⁰Sr concentrations are under the permitted radioactive pollution level. • Calculated transfer coefficient of ⁹⁰Sr and ¹³⁷Cs in the samples of sheep were higher than the expected value. • The obtained data are probably the result of nuclear explosion in 1986