Polonium 210Po, uranium (234U, 238U) and plutonium (238Pu, 239+240Pu) bioaccumulation in marine birds

Abstract

The aim of this work was the determination of 210Po, 234U, 238U, 238Pu and 239+240Pu concentration in marine birds which permanently or temporally live in the southern Baltic Sea coast. We chose 11 species of seabirds: three species permanently residing at southern Baltic Sea, four species of wintering birds and three species of migrating birds. The results show that analyzed radionuclides are non-uniformly distributed in the marine birds. The highest activities of 210Po were observed in feathers, muscles and liver. The highest uranium content was found in liver, rest of viscera and feathers, while plutonium in the digestion organs and feathers. Omnivore seabirds accumulated more polonium, plutonium than species that feed on fish, while herbivore seabirds accumulated more uranium than carnivore.

Keywords

• polonium
• uranium
• plutonium
• marine birds
• bioaccumulation
• Baltic Sea