« lessĪuthors: Smith, D D Bernhardt, D E Giles, K R Publication Date: Research Org.: Environmental Protection Agency, Las Vegas, NV (USA). No gross or microscopic lesions were found in necropsied animals that could be directly attributed to the effects of ionizing radiation. The movements of 13 mule deer outfitted with collars containing a radio transmitter unit were monitored on a weekly basis.
Hypothetical dose estimates to man were calculated on the basis of the daily consumption of 0.5 kilogram of more » liver or muscle from animals that contained peak radionuclide levels. Radionuclide tissue concentrations were generally higher in the tissues of animals residing in Area 15 than in similar animals collected from other Nevada Test Site areas. However, cattle tissue sampled in the fall were higher than those collected in the spring. Plutonium levels in all tissues from all species showed little variation from recent years. Tritium concentrations were generally within expected environmental limits with the exception of animals exposed to sources of contamination e.g., drainage ponds from Area 12 tunnels. Strontium-90 concentrations in bones from deer, cattle, and desert bighorn sheep were consistent with those of recent years.
Other than the naturally occurring Potassium-40, gamma-emitting radionuclides were detected infrequently with the exception of short-lived radionuclides found in samples from animals collected soon after March 14 (the date of a nuclear test by the People's Republic of China).
Routine and special activities of the Animal Investigation Program are also discussed. Data are presented from the radioanalyses of tissues collected from cattle, mule deer, desert bighorn sheep, rabbits, golden eagles, and other wildlife that resided on or near the Nevada Test Site during 1978.
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