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

• 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.

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 Ff and CR for 137Cs were maximum in the fresh lucerne group large intestine sample. Geometric means of Ff and CR for 90Sr were maximum in the fresh lucerne group small intestine sample.