Determination of the (137)Cs and (90)Sr 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 (137)Cs and (90)Sr 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 (137)Cs and (90)Sr 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 (137)Cs and (90)Sr are under the maximum permitted radioactive pollution level for all the samples. The transfer coefficient of (137)Cs and (90)Sr in the samples of sheep ranged from 1.0 × 10(-1) to 2.1 × 10(0) d kg(-1) and 1.7 × 10(-1) to 2.3 × 10(0) d kg(-1), respectively. Calculated transfer coefficients of (90)Sr and (137)Cs in the samples of sheep were higher than the expected values. Geometric means of Ff and CR for (137)Cs were maximum in the fresh lucerne group large intestine sample. Geometric means of Ff and CR for (90)Sr were maximum in the fresh lucerne group small intestine sample.