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Plant Root Absorption and Metabolic Fate of Technetium in Plants

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Technetium in the Environment

Abstract

Technetium-99 (Tc), produced in the fission of U-235 and Pu-239, has a long half-life (2·1 × 105 year) and has been shown to exhibit a relatively high degree of bioavailability. While Tc can enter the environment from a number of sources [1], the nuclear fuel cycle is the major contributor from the standpoint of point sources. Concentration ratios (CR = μg Tc/g dry wt vegetation per μg Tc/g dry wt soil) for transfer from soils to plants span three orders of magnitude from 1 to 1000 [2–7]. This broad range of CR values presents some difficulty in assessment of dose [8].

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© 1986 ECSC, EEC, EAEC, Brussels and Luxembourg

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Cataldo, D.A., Garland, T.R., Wildung, R.E. (1986). Plant Root Absorption and Metabolic Fate of Technetium in Plants. In: Desmet, G., Myttenaere, C. (eds) Technetium in the Environment. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4189-2_22

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4189-2_22

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-8361-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-4189-2

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