Mechanism of radium-226 transfer from sediments and water to marine fishes.

Abstract

A study was conducted in Puget Sound, Washington, USA, to evaluate the accumulation of radium-226 in benthic fishes. The radium content of whole fish ranged from 0.83 to 20.33 pCi/kg wet weight and the calcium content ranged from 114 to 259 mg/g ash. Basically, no consistent correlation was found between radium and calcium concentration in fish. The concentration factor for transfer of radium from seawater to benthic fish ranged from 8 to 184 which is much lower than the corresponding values for the pelagic fish.