EPA-680/4-74-001 ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING SERIES
DECEMBER 1974
ACCUMULATION OF TRITIUM IN VARIOUS SPECIES OF FISH
REARED IN TRITIATED WATER
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING & SUPPORT LABORATORY
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
U,S, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA 89114
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EPA-680/4-74-001
December 1974
ACCUMULATION OF TRITIUM IN
VARIOUS SPECIES OF FISH REARED IN
TRITIATED WATER
by
R. G. Patzer, A. A. Moghissi, D. N. McNeils
National Environmental Research Center
Las Vegas, Nevada
ROAP 21AMI, Task 10
Program Element 1FA083
NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CENTER
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA 89114
-------
TECHNICAL REPORT DATA
(Please read Instructions on the reverse before completing)
1. REPORT NO.
EPA 680/4-74-001
2.
3. RECIPIENT'S ACCESSION-NO.
4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE
Accumulation of Tritium in Various Species of
Fish Reared in Tritiated Water
5. REPORT DATE
January 1974
6. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION CODE
7. AUTHOR(S)
Robert G. Patzer, Alan A. Moghissi, David N. McNelis
8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NO.
9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS .
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Environmental Research Center
P. 0. Box 15027
Las Vegas, NV 89114
10. PROGRAM ELEMENT NO.
1FA083
11. CONTRACT/GRANT NO.
N/A
12.
SPONSORING.AGENCY NAME AND ADDRESS
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Environmental Research Center
P. 0. Box 15027
Las Vegas, NV 89114
13. TYPE OF REPORT AND PERIOD COVERED
Final
14. SPONSORING AGENCY CODE
15. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES Presented May 1?^ 19?4 at Symposium on Environmental Behaviour of
Radionuclides Released by the Nuclear Industry. Organized by the IAEA, NBA (OECD),
WHO. Published in Symposium Proceedings by the IAEA.
16. ABSTRACT
The release of tritium into aquatic ecosystems has resulted from nuclear industry
(operations. Because of the projected expansion of the nuclear power industry and
associated fuel reprocessing plants, such releases can be expected to increase and
to require further assessment of the environmental impact. Considerable informa-
tion exists for the behavior and fate of tritiated water in mammals; however, few
experimental data are available on the incorporation of tritium from tritiated water
into fresh water fishes. Of particular interest are fish that begin and end their
lives in a tritiated environment. In the present study trout and channel catfish eggs
were hatched and the fish maintained in tritiated water for four months. In addition,
two species of minnows native to the southwest United States were maintained in triti-
ated water and offspring from these fish were reared in tritiated water for five
months. Some of these native fish were maintained for two months in large outdoor
pools in which part of their food was grown naturally. The tritium concentrations in
aquaria water were held constant during the experimental period. The results show
that for these species of fish living in tritiated water the concentration factor for
organic bound tritium is generally less than unity. The concentration factor is de-
fined as the specific activity of tritium in dried body tissue divided by that in the
water in which the fish were reared. Literature concerning behavior of tritium in
aquatic food chains after release in nuclear industry effluents is reviewed.
17.
KEY WORDS AND DOCUMENT ANALYSIS
DESCRIPTORS
b.lDENTIFIERS/OPEN ENDED TERMS C. COSATI Field/Group
Water
Tri ti urn
Fishes
Trout
Catfishes
Minnows
Tritiated water
Aquatic environment
Aquatic biology
Tritium accumulation
in fish
Tritium concentration
factor
0606
0618
1802
1808
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Release unlimited
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12
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EPA 680/4-74-001
January 1974
ACCUMULATION OF TRITIUM IN VARIOUS SPECIES OF FISH
REARED IN TRITIATED WATER
by
R. G. Patzer
A. A. Moghissi
D. N. McNeils
National Environmental Research Center
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Las Vegas, Nevada
Program Element 1HA325
NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CENTER
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA 89114
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IAEA/SM-172/29
ACCUMULATION OF TRITIUM IN VARIOUS SPECIES OF FISH
REARED IN TRITIATED WATER
R. G. Patzer, A. A. Moghissi and D. N. McNeils
Environmental Protection Agency
National Environmental Research Center
Las Vegas, Nevada 89114
1. INTRODUCTION
Substantial amounts of tritium have been released into the environment
as a result of nuclear industry operations. Most of this tritium becomes
incorporated into water molecules to form tritiated water (HTO) and can then
be incorporated into the organic constituents of plants and animals which
come in contact with the water [l, 2, 3],
Because of the projected expansion of the nuclear power industry and
associated fuel reprocessing plants, the environmental releases of tritium
can be expected to increase. Current design of fuel reprocessing plants is
such that most of the tritium entering the plant in spent nuclear fuel is
released to the environment as tritiated water [4, 5]. The capacity of the
worldwide environment for diluting such tritium to negligible levels is not
unlimited [6], Furthermore, to the extent that such tritium is not rapidly
diluted throughout the water of the world, the tritium concentrations in
certain areas would be higher than estimated for rapid dilution in the
entire hydrosphere. It has been reported that tritium released to the
environment as tritiated water may be concentrated in some organisms through
ecological food chains [?]. If these organisms are part of a food chain
leading to man, the significance of environmental releases of tritium must
be reexamined.
The accumulation of tritium in organisms through ecological food
chains is being studied at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's
National Environmental Research Center at Las Vegas. Tritium accumulation
in fish through aquatic food chains is one of the studies in progress.
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Considerable information exists for the behavior and fate of tritiated water
in mammals [l, 2, 3, 8]; however, little experimental data are available on
the incorporation of tritium from tritiated water into fresh water fishes.
To determine the significance of tritium in the food chain of fish, tritium
incorporation into fish from tritiated water alone must be evaluated. This
report presents results for tritium incorporation into fish living in
tritiated water and eating non-tritiated food. In an associated experiment,
some fish were raised in tritiated water in which a substantial portion of
their food was grown.
2. METHODS
2.1 Fish in aquaria
Small fish of two species native to the southwestern United States
and suitable for rearing in small aquaria were collected from streams and
placed in tritiated water. These species, Gamusia affinis (mosquito fish)
and Poeciliopsis occidentalis (Gila topminnox-?), both of the family
Poeciliidae, are live-bearing in that eggs are hatched within the mother and
both present live young. Both species have a lifetime of about three years.
Adult fish, one' to two years old, were used and the species would not
interbreed.
Fertilized trout (Salmo gairdnerii) eggs, obtained from a hatchery,
were hatched in 380-liter (100 U.S. gal.) tanks with cooled and filtered
circulating tritiated water. The trout were reared in this same tank to an
age of 140 days and then placed in non-tritiated water for 72 days to
determine the gross tritium loss rate from the fish.
Fertilized eggs of the channel catfish (Ictalurus lacustris), obtained
from a catfish farm, were hatched in a tank identical to the trout tank, and
fry were reared to adulthood in this tank. Trout and catfish were selected
for study because they are used as food by man.
Young produced by mosquito fish and Gila topminnows were separated
from the adults at birth and reared in different aquaria. Information was
thus obtained on tritium incorporation into fish which start and end their
lives in tritiated water. Some of these young fish were placed in non-
tritiated water at an age of 200 days and periodic samples were collected
to determine the rate of tritium loss from the fish.
The tritium concentration in all aquaria was maintained at a constant
level throughout the study. Hatching of eggs and care of fish was performed
as recommended in the literature [9, 10, 11]. Trout and catfish were fed a
balanced commercial ration. The mosquito fish and Gila topminnows were fed a
mixed diet of commercial foods for tropical fish. These commercial foods
did not contain tritium incorporated in non-exchangeable positions
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2.2 Fish in outdoor pools
Six plastic-lined pools, constructed at the EPA Experimental Farm on
the Nevada Test Site, were filled with 3700 liters (980 U.S. gal.) of
tritiated water. Inorganic fertilizer, tritium and green algae (Chlorella
pyrenoidosa) were introduced and the algae allowed to produce a full bloom.
The tritiated water level in the pools was maintained by water level con-
trollers connected to a reservoir of tritiated deionized water.
Windblown dirt, debris, and hay from the farm entered the pools, and a
variety of insect life was observed in the pools before fish were introduced.
While the algae and biota which spent a significant proportion of their life-
time in the pools would have considerable tritium metabolically incorporated
into their tissues, the same would not be true for material which blew into
the pools [2, 3J. Mosquito fish placed in the pools on several occasions
resulted in complete mortality within a few days. Despite identical treat-
ment, the pools developed individual characteristics after several weeks,
and four pools then provided adequate conditions to maintain fish. Adult
mosquite fish, one to two years old, were introduced into three pools, and
young mosquito fish, four months old, into the fourth pool. The food supply
from algae, insects, and windblown debris appeared to be adequate for these
fish, and no additional food was provided. Tha pools were stocked in mid-
July, and the fish harvested in mid-October when freezing temperatures
threatened survival. Some of the adult fish were returned to tritiated
laboratory aquaria and fed commercial fish food to determine the importance
of the tritiated food in the environment.
2.3 Sampling and analysis
Water samples were collected from aquaria in the laboratory on a
weekly basis, and farm pool water samples were collected about every two
weeks on inspection visits. Tritium concentrations in aquaria and pools
were maintained at 1 nCi/ml ±10 percent. This concentration was selected
to provide easily measurable tritium levels and not yield unacceptably
high radiation dose rates to fish. The fish received a dose of about
1 rad/yr [12],
Fish from pools and aquaria were collected periodically for analysis.
Freeze-dried tissues of whole fish were oxidized in a Model 300 Packard
Tricarb Sample Oxidizer and the water of oxidation analyzed for tritium.
All water samples were analyzed for tritium specific activity
(yCi/gH or an equivalent unit) using a Beckman Model 100 Liquid Scintillation
Counter. The scintillator solution contained 7g diphenyloxazole (PPO) and
1.5g p-bis-(o-methylstryl)-benzene (bis-MSB) dissolved in a mixture of. •
p-xylene and Triton N-101 with a volume ratio of 2.75:1. Samples were
analyzed by liquid scintillation techniques previously described [13, 14j,
All samples were counted to at least ±2 percent at the 95 percent confidence
interval.
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3. RESULTS
3.1 Fraction of specific activity equilibrium
Results are presented to show the ratio between the tritium specific
activity in freeze-dried fish tissue and that in water in which the fish
were grown. A ratios or fraction, greater than unity would indicate con-
centration of tritium within the organic constituents of fish relative to
the water environment„ No fraction greater than unity was measured in these
experiments.
The results obtained for mosquito fish and Gila topminnows grown in
tritiated water and fed a commercial diet are shown in Table I. The fraction
of equilibrium attained is about 0.5 for both fish born in the tritiated
water and fish introduced into tritiated water as adults. The data in Table
II for trout and catfish indicate that a somewhat lower fraction of equili-
brium is attained in these game fish grown in tritiated water and fed a
commercial diet.
The data in Table III show that, for mosquito fish grown in outdoor
pools in which a substantial fraction of their food was grown, the fraction
of equilibrium attained is about 50 to 90 percent higher than for aquarium
fish eating commercial food. The mosquito fish introduced into the pools as
one- to two-year-old adults were full grown and did not increase in size
during their sojourn in the pools. The fish introduced at 180 days of age,
however, increased in body weight ty a factor of three during the 94 days
in the pool. As mentioned earlier (Section 2.2) the outdoor pools differed
in the amount and type of biota present. The pool containing the young fish
appeared to have very sparse populations of plant and insect life. Whether
this is due to the fish keeping such populations sparse or to other unfavor-
able environmental conditions in the pool, it appears likely that the small
fish ate a greater fraction of their diet from sources outside the pool than
did the adult fish. Two of the three pools in which adult fish were kept
contained lush growths of biota, and in the third pool populations of biota
were intermediate between these two pools and that in which the young fish
were raised. The fraction of tritium equilibrium attained in adult fish
tissues in these pools (Table III) appears to be in proportion to the observed
growth of biota in the pools. This fraction approached but did not exceed
unity.
3.2 Tritium loss from fish tissue
After several months of growth in tritiated water while eating
commercial fish foods, some of the trout and mosquito fish were transferred
to non-tritiated water. Data on the loss of tritium from tissues of these
fish are given in Table TV and Figure 1, curves C and D. The data for
mosquito fish indicate that about 50 percent of the tritium in tissue is
eliminated with a biological half-time of about five days, and the remainder
is eliminated at a much slower rate. The two data points for trout (line D
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in Figure 1) are sufficient only to indicate that not all the tritium in
tissue is eliminated rapidly when the trout are placed in non-tritiated
water. The two data points are connected by a dashed line to facilitate
association of the data and not to represent an estimate of the tritium
loss rate.
Adult mosquito fish from two of the farm pools were placed in
tritiated water in laboratory aquaria» The aquaria water had the same
tritium concentration as the farm pools; however, the fish food was changed
from the food grown in the farm poolss plus some outside sources (Sections
2.2 and 3.1)s to a commercial diet. The data for these fish are given in
Table V and Figure 18 curves A and B. Only two samples were obtained for
fish from the pool which had attained the highest fraction of equilibrium,
0.92. After 28 days in the aquarium the tritium concentration in these fish
had decreased some 20 percent. These two data points are connected by a
dashed line in the figure only to facilitate association of the data. The
more interesting data are for the fish from the pool in which the fraction
of equilibrium had reached 008 after 93 days in the pool. After 41 days
in the aquarium the fraction of equilibrium in tissues of these fish had
decreased to about that expected for fish grown in tritiated water and fed
commercial food (Table I). The tissue concentration remained at this level
after an additional 98 days in tritiated water.
4. DISCUSSION
4.1 Tritiated water exposure
The fraction of tritium specific activity equilibrium in tissue of
small fish living in tritiated water (Table I) was found to be about 30
percent higher than that reported for tissue of mammals exposed to tritiated
drinking water [l» 2, 3j. The reason for this difference is uncertain;
however, one explanation is that the small fish eat small biota which grow
naturally even in clean aquaria. Intake of such organisms x^ith tritium
already incorporated into protein, fat, and carbohydrate molecules would
tend to increase the tritium specific ^activity in tissues of the fish. This
explanation is supported by the data for trout and catfish in Table II. The
trout were raised in very clean and cold water (11 C) in which little biota
grew. In addition, the trout ate large amounts of commercial food and grew
rapidly to a size for which small aquatic biota would be expected to be a
small portion of their total diet. The highest tritium specific activity
in trout tissue was about 20 percent less than that for mosquito fish. The
catfish grew very slowly during the first 60 days and possibly ate substan-
tial amounts of biota growing in their"warm (24 C) and relatively messy
aquarium. By the time the catfish were 133 days old they were 7 to 8 cm
in length, ate large quantities of commercial food, and kept their aquarium
clean by devouring everything possible. From the very small fish at age 60
days to the much larger ones at age 133 days, the tritium specific activity
in tissue decreased by approximately 30 percent to about the same level as
for trout.
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4.2 Influence of tritiated food
The consumption of food grown in their tritiated environment increases
the tritium specific activity in tissue of mosquito fish to levels about
50 to 90 percent higher than in fish grown in tritiated water and fed
commercial foods. Algae9 which reproduce from carbon dioxide, water and
inorganic materials in the water9 incorporate tritium from tritiated water
into cell components„ The algae were introduced into pools to provide food
for both fish and other aquatic organisms in the pools. The pools were
filled initially with water from an irrigation reservoir which contained
populations of unidentified aquatic organisms. Although food produced in
this manner could have provided adequate food for the fish, other foods not
produced in the tritiated environment (Sections 2.2 and 3.1) were probably
eaten. The tritium specific activity in organic components of this material
would not be in equilibrium with the aquatic environment and, therefore,
would tend to lower the fraction of equilibrium in the fish. An example of
this is the insect larvae developed from eggs in which all the nutrients are
contained. If the adult insect producing the aggs lives and/or feeds in
other than the tritiated pool environments the larvae when hatched would
contain little tritium bound to organic molecules. It should be noted that
such introduction of food material from outside the tritiated water environ-
ment is a phenomenon which also occurs in natural waters.
4.3 Loss of tritium from fish tissue
Limited data are presently available on the loss of tritium from fish
tissue after transfer to a less tritiated environment (Figure 1). It is
clear, however, that a portion of tritium in tissue is not excreted rapidly.
This finding is of significance in environmental monitoring in that the
tritium concentration in fish tissue as a result of previous tritium
exposures may be higher than in the ambient water. Furthermore, this
elevated concentration may persist for longer than indicated by the data
shown in Figure 1 because the fish are eating organisms from an entire food
chain which has had a similar tritium exposure history. The organic tritium
persistence in the food chain to the organism of interest is the major factor
of importances and limited data in the literature [15] indicate that such
tritium persists in ecological cycles for several years.
5. CONCLUSIONS
5.1 Fish living in tritiated water
The experimental results indicate that for fish living in tritiated
water and eating foods produced elsewhere, the tritium specific activity
in tissue would reach about 50 percent of that in the water.
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5.2 Fish living in a tritiated'environment
The consumption by fish of foods gro-wn in tritiated water where the
fish are living increases the tritium specific activity in fish tissues
significantly as compared to tissues of fish eating foods not grown in their
tritiated environment. The fraction obtained by dividing the tritium
specific activity in fish tissues by that in the water of their environment
approached, but did not exceed, unity in the studies described.
5.3 Persistence of tritium in fish tissue
Tritium incorporated into fish tissue from tritiated water or from
fish food grown in tritiated water is not excreted rapidly. Approximately
50 percent of this tritium appears to have a half-time of about five days,
and the remainder has a much longer half-time in the mosquito fish studied.
Mention of commercial products used in connection with work reported
in this article does not constitute an endorsement by the Environmental
Protection Agency.
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REFERENCES
[l] WOODARD, Ho Q., The Biological Effects of Tritium, Ch. 3, USAEC Rep.
HASL-229 (1970).
[2] FEINENDEGEN, L0 £„, Tritium-Labeled Molecules in Biology and Medicine,
Ch. 5, Academic Press, New York (1967).
[3] PATZER, R, G,s Radiation Dose from Non-Exchangeable Tritium in Rats
after Tritium Oxide Ingestiona Ph.D. Dissertation, University of
Michigan (1968),
[4] HANEY, Wo A., Fission Product Tritium in Fuel-Processing Waste,
Nucl. Saf ety _5 4 (1964) 399.
[5] ROSE, D. J., Hazards of Tritium from Controlled Fusion, Health Phys.
18 (1970) 439.
[6] WHIPPLE, Go H.j. Approaches to the Calculation of Limitations on Nuclear
Detonations for Peaceful Purposes (Proc. Symp. Pub. Hlth. Aspects of
Peaceful Uses of Nucl. Explosives, Las Vegas, 1969) DHEW Rep. USGPO
0-362-251 (1969) 683=
[7] KORANDA, J. Jo, MARTIN, J. R0, "The Movement of Tritium in Ecological
Systems'^ Ch. 6S Tritium, Messenger Graphics, Phoenix (1973).
[8] THOMPSON, R. C., A Review of Laboratory Animal Experiments Related to
the Radiobiology of Tritium, USAEC Rep. BNWL-SA-3739 (1971).
[9] LEWIS, W. M., Maintaining Fishes for Experimental and Instructional
Purposes, Southern 111. Univ. Press, Carbondale (1963).
[10] DAVIS, H. S., Culture and Diseases of Game Fish, Univ. of Calif. Press,
Berkeley (1967).
[ll] GHADIALLY, F. N., Advanced Aquarist Guide, The Pet Library Ltd.,
London (1969).
[12] MOGHISSI, A. A., PORTER, C. R.s Tritium in Surface Waters of the
United States, Radiol. Hlth. Data Rep. _9 (1968) 337.
[13] MOGHISSI, A. A., CARTER, M. W.9 Internal Standard with Identical
System Properties for Determination of Liquid Scintillation Counting
Efficiency, Anal. Chem. 40_ (1968) 812.
[14] MOGHISSI, A. A., LIEBERMAN, R., Low-Level Counting by Liquid
Scintillation-II, Applications of Emulsions in Tritium Counting,
Int. J. Applo Radiat. Isotopes 21^ (1970) 319.
[15] COHEN, L. K., KNEIP, T. J., "Environmental Studies at a PWR Power
Plant",. Ch. 8, Tritium, Messenger Graphics, Phoenix (1973).
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TABLE I. SMALL FISH GROWN IN AQUARIA AND FED COMMERCIAL FOOD:
SPECIFIC ACTIVITY OF TRITIUM IN FREEZE-DRIED FISH TISSUE
' AS A FRACTION OF THAT IN WATER IN WITCH THE FISH WERE GROWN
SPECIES
Mosquito fish
ii
11
it
ii
ii
ti
it
AGEa
180 d
1-2 yr
1-2 yr
1-2 yr
1-2 yr "
1-2 yr
1-2 yr
1-2 yr
DAYS IN HTO
21
60
66
101
106
158
198
203
FRACTION1"
0.42
0.37
0.31
0.44
0.47
0.73°
0.52
0.52
Gila Topminnow
Gila Topminnow
ti
1-2 yr
79
88
185
0.56
0.49
0.45
a. Age at time of introduction into tritiated water; dash (-) indicates
fish were born in tritiated water,
b. Tritium specific activity in dry tissue divided by that in aquaria
water.
c. These fish were inadvertently fed for three days with brine shrimp
reared in tritiated water for a different experiment.
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TABLE II. GAME FISH GROWN IN AQUARIA AND FED COMMERCIAL FOOD:
SPECIFIC ACTIVITY OF TRITIUbl IN FREEZE-DRIED FISH TISSUE
' AS A FRACTION OF THAT IN WATER IN WHICH THE FISH WERE GROWN
SPECIES
DAYS IN HTOC
FRACTION
COMMENT ON SAMPLE
Trout
Catfish
a. Fertilized
b. All trout
c. Fry began
1.
9b
14
22C
32
119
140
3d
49
53
62
133
eggs placed in tritiated
eggs hatched by day 9
eating well on day 22
0.27
0.34
0.23
0.22
0.39
0.42
0.42
0.51
0.43
0,45
0.58
0.41
water
Dead eggs and debris
Fry with yolk sac
Dead fry and debris
Dead fry and debris
Dead fry
Fish
Fish
Dead eggs
Small fish
Small fish
Small fish
Small fish
when received
d0 All catfish eggs hatched by day 7
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TABLE III. MOSQUITO FISH GROWN IN OUTDOOR POOLS:
SPECIFIC ACTIVITY OP TRITIUM IN FREEZE-DRIED FISH TISSUE
AS A FRACTION OF THAT IN WATER IN WHICH THE FISH WERE GROWN
AGEa
180 d
180 d
180 d
1-2 yr
1-2 yr
1-2 yr
1-2 yr
1-2 yr
DAYS IN 11TO
11
39
94
20
58
93
93
93
FRACTION
0.36
0.56
0.74
0.54
0.63
0.80
0.92
0.88
a. Age at time of introduction into tritiated water.
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TABLE IV. LOSS OF TRITIUM FROM TISSUES OF FISH GROWN IN TRITIATED WATER
AND THEN TRANSFERRED TO NON-TRITIATED WATER
SPECIES
Mosquito fish born in HTO
ti
it
it
Trout hatched in HTO
it
AGE3
200 d
200 d
200 d
200 d
119 d
119 d
DAYS IN H20
0
8
11
60
0
72
FRACTIONb
0.52
0.39
0.30
0.19
0.42
0.18
a. Age at time introduced into non-tritiated water
b. Tritium specific activity in dry tissue divided by that
in aquaria water during HTO exposure
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TABLE V. LOSS OF TRITIUM FROM TISSUES OF FISH GROWN IN TRITIATED
OUTDOOR POOLS AND THEN TRANSFERRED TO TRITIATED AQUARIA
AND FED COMMERCIAL FOOD
SPECIES AGE3 DAYS IN HTOb FRACTION0
Mosquito fish adults
ii
Mosquito fish adults
it
ii
ti
ii
1-2 yr
1-2 yr
1-2 yr
1-2 yr
1-2 yr
1-2 yr
1-2 yr
0
28
0
6
22
41
139
0.92
0.74
0.80
0.62
0.58
0.51
0.52
a. Age at time transferred from outdoor pools to aquaria containing HTO
b. Days in aquaria containing same HTO concentration as outdoor pools
c. Tritium specific activity in dry tissue divided by that in aquaria water
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o:
CQ
o-
uu
u.
o
o
o
«C
Di
U-
O- B
140
FIGURE 1. LOSS OF TRITIUM FROM FISH AFTER TRANSFER TO
A LESS TRITIATED ENVIRONMENT
A/B MOSQUITO FISH FROM OUTDOOR POOLS:TO HTO
C MOSQUITO FISH BORN IN HTO:TO H20
D TROUT HATCHED IN HTO-:TO HgO
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TECHNICAL REPORT DATA
(Please read Instructions on the reverse before completing)
1, REPORT NO.
EPA 680/4-74-001
3. RECIPIENT'S ACCESSION-NO.
4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE
Accumulation of Tritium in Various Species of
Fish Reared in Tritiated Water
5. REPORT DATE
January 1974
6. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION CODE
7. AUTHOR(S)
Robert G. Patzer, Alan A. Moghissi, David N. McNelis
8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NO.
9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Environmental Research Center
P. 0. Box 15027
Las Vegas, NV 89114
10. PROGRAM ELEMENT NO.
1FA083
11. CONTRACT/GRANT NO.
N/A
12. SPONSORING.AGENCY NAME AND ADDRESS
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Environmental Research Center
P. O.-Box 15027
Las Vegas, NV 89114
13. TYPE OF REPORT AND PERIOD COVERED
Final
14. SPONSORING AGENCY CODE
15. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES Presented May 17^ 1974 at Symposium on Environmental Behaviour of
Radionuclides Released by the Nuclear Industry. Organized by the IAEA, NBA (OECD),
WHO. Published in Symposium Proceedings by the IAEA.
16. ABSTRACT
The release of tritium into aquatic ecosystems has resulted from nuclear industry
operations. Because of the projected expansion of the nuclear power industry and
associated fuel reprocessing plants, such releases can be expected to increase and
to require further assessment of the environmental impact. Considerable informa-
tion exists for the behavior and fate of tritiated water in mammals; however, few
experimental data are available on the incorporation of tritium from tritiated water
into fresh water fishes. Of particular interest are fish that begin and end their
lives in a tritiated environment. In the present study trout and channel catfish eggs
were hatched and the fish maintained in tritiated water for four months. In addition,
two species of minnows native to the southwest United States were maintained in triti-
ated water and offspring from these fish were reared in tritiated water for five
months. Some of these native fish were maintained for two months in large outdoor
pools in which part of their food was grown naturally. The tritium concentrations in
aquaria water were held constant during the experimental period. The results show
that for these species of fish living in tritiated water the concentration factor for
organic bound tritium is generally less than unity. The concentration factor is de-
fined as the specific activity of tritium in dried body tissue divided by that in the
water in which the fish were reared. Literature concerning behavior of tritium in
aquatic food chains after release in nuclear industry effluents is reviewed.
17.
KEY WORDS AND DOCUMENT ANALYSIS
DESCRIPTORS
b.lDENTIFIERS/OPEN ENDED TERMS C. COSATI Field/Group
Water
Tri ti urn
Fishes
Trout
Catfishes
Minnows
Tritiated water
Aquatic environment
Aquatic biology
Tritium accumulation
in fish
Tritium concentration
factor
0606
0618
1802
1808
18. DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT
Release unlimited
19. SECURITY CLASS (ThisReport)'
21. NO. OF PAGES
12
20. SECURITY CLASS (This page)
22. PRICE
EPA Form 2220-1 (9-73)
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