uranium in plant

Plant uptake of radionuclides is one of many vectors for

introduction of contaminants into the human food chain. Thus, it is
critical to understand soil-plant relationships that control nuclide
bioavailability.
Netten and Morley (1983) investigated uranium, molybdenum, copper,
and selenium uptake by the radish plant grown on uranium-rich soils.
Radishes were grown in the naturally occurring uranium-containing soils
found in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. They
indicated that bioaccumulation was not observed for U, Cu and, with
some exceptions, Se. Mo bioaccumulates readily in the radish. Their data
reveled that U and Mo uptake seems to be pH-dependent in this plant. As
expected radish roots can be a significant source of U and Mo. Ingestion
of radishes from these soils could easily surpass the maximum daily
intakes of U set by the Canadian government.

Dreesen and Cokal (1984) evaluated a technique for assessing the

potential uptake of contaminants growing on chemical waste burial sites
using several plant species, i.e. Atriplex canescens, Kochia scoparia,
barley, lucerne and Melilotus officinalis growing on uranium mill tailings
materials. They noticed that plant availability of Mo, Se, Cl and other
trace metals in the waste was greater than in the surface soil from a
uranium mining area. They observed a significant differences between
spp. in the content of nutrients and contaminants in their aerial parts.
Barley contained higher levels of U and much higher levels of Si than the
other spp., while lucerne had higher levels of Al, Ba, Co and V and M.
officinalis had higher levels of Ba and V than barley.

in field lysimeters Sheppard et al., (1984) studied plant growth, plant

uptake, and the redistribution in soil of U and Cr. The objective of the
experiment was to characterize the plant uptake and migration in the soil
of U and Cr when placed at different depths in the unsaturated soil zone
within the influence of a water table. Total uptake of Cr by the plants was
directly proportional to Cr concentration in the soil, over eight orders of
magnitude. Thus, independent of the amount of Cr applied, the plant took
up a similar fraction, about 0.007. Chromium placement depth in the soil
did not influence Cr uptake by the plants although the Cr was relatively
immobile in both soils. Plant uptake of U was independent of plant
species and U placement depth for loam soil, but highly dependent on
placement depth in sandy soil. In the latter, much more U was taken up
by the plants when it was placed near the soil surface, implying that
uptake was dependent upon root activity. Migration of U from the
contaminant band was substantial only in the sandy soil.

A field study was conducted in an area of enhanced natural radioactivity

to assess concentration ratios (CR = concentration in dry plant
/concentration in dry soil) of 232Th, 230Th, 226Ra, 228Ra, and the light
rare earth elements (REE's) La, Ce and Nd (Linsalata et al,. 1989).
Twenty-nine soil and 42 plant samples consisting of relatively equal
numbers of seven crop varieties were obtained from 11 farms on the
Pocos de Caldas Plateau, Minas Gerais, Brazil. This region is the site of a
major natural analogue study to assess the mobilization and retardation
processes affecting Th and the REE's at the Morro do Ferro ore body and
U series radionuclides at a nearby open pit U mine. Thorium (IV) serves
as a chemical analogue for quadrivalent Pu and the light REE's (III) as
chemical analogues for trivalent Am and Cm. The geometric mean CR's
(X10-4) decreased as follows: 228Ra (148) > 226Ra (76) > La (5.4) > Nd
(3.0) = Ce (2.6) > 232Th (0.6). They indicted that these differences may
reflect the relative availability of these metals for plant uptake.
Significant differences were found in the CR's (for any given analyte)
among many of the plants sampled. The CR's for the different analytes
were also highly correlated. The reasons for the correlations in CR's
among elements with such diverse chemistries as Ra-REE or Ra-Th are
not clear but are apparently related to the essential mineral requirements
or mineral status of the different plants sampled. This conclusion is based
on the significant correlations obtained between the Ca content of the
dried plants and the CR's for all of the elements studied.
TI: Uptake of uranium by vegetables and rice.
AU: Lakshmann-AR; Venkateswarlu-KS
AD: Bhabha Atomic Res. Cent., Bombay 400 085, India.
SO: Water,-Air,-and-Soil-Pollution. 1988, 38: 1-2, 151-155.
AB: Uptake of U by potatoes, Raphanus sativus, Lagenaria leucantha [L. siceraria],
Solanum melongena and Abelmoschus [Hibiscus] esculentus was studied in pots by
spiking soil and irrigation water with U. Increase in U was observed with increased U
in water but not soil. However, the concn factor for uptake of U by vegetables
decreased with increase of U in the water. Rice was similarly grown and the
distribution of U within plant parts measured. Concn in the grain was significantly
less than in the husk, which was significantly less than in straw.
TI: Uptake by sagebrush of uranium progeny injected in situ.
AU: Simon-SL; Fraley-L Jr.
AD: Dep. of Radiology and Radiation Biol., Colorado State Univ., Ft. Collins, CO
80523, USA.
SO: Journal-of-Environmental-Quality. 1986, 15: 4, 345-350.
AB: Uptake of 226Ra, 210Pb, and 210Po in mature big sagebrush (Artemisia
tridentata) was studied in the environs of a U mine in Shirley Basin, WY.
Radionuclide solutions were injected into the soil to elevate the soil activity while
minimizing root disturbance and preventing soil surface contamination. The
objectives of this study were to measure the concentration in leaves resulting from
root uptake as a function of time and to determine the equilibrium concentration ratio
(CR) for each radionuclide. The vegetation was sampled approximately every 90 d for
a 2-yr period. The maximum internal plant concentration of 226Ra, 210Pb, and 210Po
was detected at the first sampling (81 d after soil injection for 226Ra, 28 d for 210Pb
and 210Po). The concentration in leaves decreased over time following the first
sampling to an apparent steady-state value. The steady-state CR values for 226Ra,
210Pb, and 2100Po, as determined in mature sagebrush, were approximately 0.04,
0.009, and 0.08, respectively, and were determined as the geometric mean of the CR
data pooled over the 2nd-yr period. The CR data were fit by nonlinear least squares to
a exponential function that decreased with time to a constant value.
TI: Plant accumulation and plant/soil concentration ratios of 210Pb and 210Po
at various sites within a uranium mining and milling operation.
AU: Ibrahim-SA; Whicker-FW
AD: Dep. of Radiology and Radiation Biol., Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins,
Colorado 80523, USA.
SO: Environmental-and-Experimental-Botany. 1987, 27: 2, 203-213.
AB: Soil and vegetation samples were collected at exposed, weathered tailings; near
the edge of a tailings pond; downwind from a tailings impoundment; from a
reclamation area and at several background locations, in Wyoming. The mean
concentrations of 210Pb and 210Po in background soil and vegetation were within the
reported range for the USA. Concentrations in soil and vegetation varied significantly
among sites and were generally elevated above the background in the disturbed areas
near tailings. Both radionuclides occurred at near-radioactive equilibrium in natural
soil and tailings and were accumulated by native plants to a similar degree. No
demonstrable differences among plant groups were found. A wide range of
concentration ratios (CR) was observed for both radionuclides, and CR values
appeared to be related to differences between collection sites. Comparatively high
values were estimated for plants growing at the tailings pond edge relative to all other
locations. It is asumed that acidity and the diminished soil-binding capacity caused by
the saturated pond edge are responsible for the enhanced plant uptake at this location.
210Po CR values for plant growing on exposed tailings were higher than previously
reported from soil contaminated with polonium oxide. The sulfuric acid leaching
process of uranium ore may create a more soluble form of polonium in tailings
material. Comparatively low CR values were observed for plants downwind from the
tailings source. Evidence is presented for both radionuclides that plant accumulation
is a non-linear function of substrate concentration. Thus, the usefulness of a single CR
value may be severely limited due to the lack of linear relationship between plant and
soil activities.
TI: Effect of mineral and organic fertilizers on uptake of uranium and thorium
by cotton and wheat.
AU: Butnik-AS; Ishchenko-GS
AD: Central Asian Inst. Phytopath., Tashkent, USSR.
SO: Soviet-Soil-Science. 1990, 22: 5, 42-47; Translated from Agrokhimiya,
(1990), no. 11, 80-84.
AB: The effects of large applications of fertilizers on the uptake of uranium and
thorium by cotton and wheat from soils containing small amounts of natural
radionuclides were studied. The uranium content of cotton plant parts decreased by a
factor of 2.9 and that of thorium by a factor of 3.8; the uptake of uranium in wheat
grain was less than the control by a factor of 1.4 and that of thorium by a factor of 2.6.
Complete mineral fertilizer had a greater effect on radionuclide uptake than individual
applications of mineral nutrients. The smallest uptake of uranium and thorium by
cotton resulted from combined use of complete mineral fertilizer and manure.
Fertilizer application altered the relative amounts of water-soluble, exchangeable,
acid-soluble and fixed forms of the radionuclides in the soil. Phosphorus fertilizers
decreased the exchangeable thorium fraction by 20%, and, in combination with
manure, by 40%.
TI: Plant and soil relationships of uranium and thorium decay series
radionuclides - a review.
AU: Mortvedt-JJ
SO: Journal-of-Environmental-Quality. 1994, 23: 4, 643-650.
AB: This review article discusses the soil-plant relationships of uranium (U), thorium
(Th), and polonium (Po). Plant concentrations have been related to total contents of
these radionuclides in the soil as a plant/soil concentration ratio (CR), even though the
fraction of these radionuclides which may be available to plants and their soil/plant
relationships are not well known. CR values have been used to predict transport of
radionuclides and other elements through the food chain and for biogeochemical
exploration for U. Little information is available on the uptake and transport
mechanisms of radionuclides in plants, though recent advances have been made
regarding the effects of soil pH, soil texture, and organic matter contents on
radionuclide uptake, as well as their mobility in soil. Mechanisms relating to Ca
uptake and translocation in plants may be similar to those of some radionuclides,
especially 226Ra.
TI: Higher plants as indicators of uranium occurrence in soil.
AU: Steubing-L; Haneke-J; Markert-B
AD: Institut fur Pflanzenokologie der Justus-Liebig-Universitat, 6300 Giessen,
Germany.
SO: Plants-as-biomonitors:-indicators-for-heavy-metals-in-the-terrestrial-
environment. 1993, 155-165.
AB: The potential of using higher plants as indicators of uranium distribution in soil
was studied at a site in Germany where uranium concentrations ranged from 5-1500
mug/g soil and reached a maximum of 1860 mug/kg in soil water. Results indicated
that Sambucus nigra was the best indicator of uranium contamination. Chemical
analysis of its leaves provided more detailed information regarding uranium
distribution than soil analyses. The plants not only indicate the location of
mineralization but also the migration pathway of U-containing soil water. The
adsorption of contaminated water is the main source of the U-accumulation in the
different plant organs.
TI: Comparative plant uptake and environmental behaviour of U-series
radionuclides at a uranium mine-mill.
AU: Ibrahim-SA; Whicker-FW
AD: Department of Radiology and Radiation Biology, Colorado State University,
Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
SO: Journal-of-Radioanalytical-and-Nuclear-Chemistry. 1992, 156: 2, 253-267.
AB: Radionuclide concentrations in soil and tailings and in mixed grasses of
Agropyron, Koeleria, Hordeum and Oryzopsis spp., mixed forbs of Melilotus, Kochia
and Salsola spp., and Artemisia spp., at an uranium mill in Wyoming were found to
be elevated. Plant:soil concentration ratios were in the order 238U > 230Th > 210Po >
226Ra > 210Pb. It was concluded that for sulfuric acid leached tailings, Ra and Pb are
sequestered as sulfates which were highly insoluble relative to U and Th sulfates,
resulting in reduced availability for plant uptake. Soil acidity and the saturation
condition at the tailings impoundment edge tend to enhance radionuclide availability
for plant uptake.
TI: Uranium isotopes distribution in soils at the Rocky Flats Plant, Colorado.
AU: Litaor-MI
AD: Environmental Restoration Management, EG&G Rocky Flats Plant, Building
080, Golden, CO 80402-0464, USA.
SO: Journal-of-Environmental-Quality. 1995, 24: 2, 314-323.
AB: Soils in Colorado, USA, contaminated with U as a result of past waste-storage
practices, accidental release of oils laden with U, and low-level airborne emissions
were analysed to determine the concn and distribution pattern of U. Soils were
sampled from 118 plots of 1.01- or 4.05-ha by compositing 25 evenly spaced samples
from the top 0.64 cm. Uranium-234 activity ranged from 25.9 to 92.8 Bq/kg, 235U
activity ranged from 0.1 to 25.1 Bq/kg, whereas 238U activity ranged from 30.7 to
286 Bq/kg. Geostatistical techniques were used to model the spatial dependency and
construct isopleth maps showing U isotope distributions. Spatial correlation was not
observed for 234U, implying that it is randomly distributed in the soil of the study
area. Uranium-235 exhibited a spotty and localized concn pattern with no clear
relationship between known burial and spill sites, and the present distribution of 235U
in the soils. Proposed wind-dispersal mechanisms were not consistent with the spatial
distribution of U isotopes. Most of the observed activities of 234U and 235U were
well within the natural range of U isotopes in soils. The lack of similarity in spatial
distribution between 239 + 240Pu and U isotopes probably resulted from the higher
solubility and leachability of U isotopes compared with 239 + 240Pu in the soil.
Although 238U showed a pattern of localized spatial distribution, most of its observed
activity was well within the natural range of 238U activity in soils.
TI: The uptake of radionuclides by beans, squash, and corn growing in
contaminated alluvial soils at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
AU: Fresquez-PR; Armstrong-DR; Mullen-MA; Naranjo-L Jr.
AD: Environment, Safety and Health Division, M887, Los Alamos National
Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
SO: Journal-of-Environmental-Science-and-Health.-Part-B,-Pesticides,-Food-
Contaminants,-and-Agricultural-Wastes. 1998, 33: 1, 99-122.
AB: Pinto beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), sweetcorn, and zucchini squash (Cucurbita
pepo) were grown in a pot study using alluvial soils contaminated with various
radionuclides. Soils as well as washed edible (fruit) and non-edible (stems and leaves)
crop tissues were analysed for tritium (3H), 137Cs, 90Sr, 238Pu, 239,240Pu, 241Am,
and total uranium (totU). Most radionuclides, with the exception of 3H and totU, in
soil and crop tissues were detected in significantly higher concentrations (P<0.05)
than in soil or crop tissues collected from regional background locations. Significant
differences in radionuclide concentrations among crop species (squash were generally
higher than beans or sweetcorn) and plant parts (non edible tissue were generally
higher than edible tissue) were observed. Most soil:plant concentration ratios for
radionuclides in edible and non-edible crop tissues grown in the studied soils were
within default values in the literature commonly used in dose and risk assessment
models. Overall, the maximum net positive committed effective dose equivalent of
beans, sweetcorn, and squash in equal proportions was 74 mrem/year (740 µS/year).
This upper bound dose was below the International Commission on Radiological
Protection permissible dose limit of 100 mrem/year (1000 µS/year) from all pathways
and corresponds to a risk of an excess cancer fatality of 3.7 X10-5 (37 in a million),
below the US Environmental Protection Agency's guideline of 10-4.
TI: Transfer of natural radionuclides from soils to plants in a marsh enhanced
by the operation of non-nuclear industries.
AU: Martinez-Aguirre-A; Garcia-Orellana-I; Garcia-Leon-M
AD: Dep. Fisica Aplicada, EUITA, Universidad de Sevilla, Carretera Utrera, km 1,
41080 Sevilla, Spain.
SO: Journal-of-Environmental-Radioactivity. 1997, 35: 2, 149-171; 14 ref.
AB: Two sampling campaigns were performed in 1993 at the marsh area (Odiel
marsh) located in the city of Huelva, SW Spain. Spartina densiflora and substrate soil
(5 cm deep) samples were collected in several locations across the area. Activity
concentrations of 210Po, U and Th isotopes were determined in the plant and
substrate samples. The production of phosphoric acid from phosphate mineral in the
vicinity enhanced the concentrations of these radionuclides in certain areas of the
marsh. Moreover, concentrations in plants were affected by the concentration of the
same element in its substrate. Indeed, high concentration levels in plants were
coincident with high concentration in soils. However, concentration ratios (CR),
defined as the ratio between the concentration of an element in the plant and of that in
its substrate, were higher when substrate concentrations were low, whereas low CR
values were found in areas where substrate concentrations were high. Moreover, both
variables (CR and soil concentration) were non-linearly related, at least in the case of
radio nuclides from the 238U decay chain.

References

Dreesen-DR; Cokal-EJ, Plant uptake assay to determine bioavailability of

inorganic contaminants. Water,-Air,-and-Soil-Pollution. 1984, 22: 1, 85-93.

Linsalata P; Morse RS; Ford H; Eisenbud M; Franca, EP; Castro, MB, de;
Lobao, N; Sachett, I; Carlos-M. An assessment of soil-to-plant concentration
ratios for some natural analogues of the transuranic elements. International J. of
Health Physics. 1989, 56: 1, 33-46.

Netten-C-Van; Morley-DR, Uptake of uranium, molybdenum, copper, and

selenium by the radish from uranium-rich soils. Archives of Environmental
Health. 1983, 38: 3, 172-175.

Sheppard-MI; Sheppard-SC; Thibault-DH , Uptake by plants and migration of

uranium and chromium in field lysimeters. J. of Environmental Quality. 1984,
13: 3, 357-361.