THE ACCUMULATION OF STRONTIUM-90 AND YTTRIUM-90 FROM A CONTINUOUSLY FLOWING NATURAL WATER BY EGGS AND ALEVINS OF THE ATLANTIC SALMON AND THE SEA TROUT

摘要

Eggs of salmon and sea-trout were immersed in 90Sr and 90Y contaminated water. At secular equilibrium the eggs were thirty times more radioactive than the water, weight for weight, the particular level of specific activity over the whole egg-stage showing a positive linear correlation with that of the water (within the limits of the experiment). Most of this radioactivity was associated with the protective egg-membranes. Newly hatched fish were approximately twice as radioactive as the water but with growth rapidly accumulated the two isotopes. Egg mortality was not significantly increased by contamination.