Radionuclide concentrations in mule deer with reference to waste-management ponds on the Hanford Site

A comparison was made between the amount of time 17 radio-collared mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) spent near low-level waste-management ponds on the Hanford Site and the levels of radionuclides found in samples of their muscle, liver, bone and rumen contents. All deer had low, but detectable, amounts of 137Cs in their muscle, liver and rumen contents and 90Sr in their bone. Several other radionuclides were detected in the rumen samples, but were apparently not incorporated into the muscle and liver tissue. There was a positive, significant correlation between the amount of time deer spent near the waste-management ponds and the levels of 137Cs in their muscle and liver and 90Sr in their bone. The concentrations of 137Cs in rumen samples did not appear to be related to the amount of time deer spent near waste-management ponds. The variability of 137Cs in muscle was higher in those deer living near the waste-management ponds than in individuals residing in areas remote from the ponds. In general, the levels of radionuclides in Hanford Site deer appear to be reduced from that observed in the 1960s.