Transfer of Fallout Manganese54 from Feed to Milk

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Abstract
Manganese54, a gamma-ray emitting neutron activation product with a half-life of 310 days has been regularly observed since May, 1963, in fallout contaminated dairy feeds, and in rainfall and surface air. The transfer coefficient for the transfer of Mn54 from an alfalfa hay diet to milk was approximately 7 x 10-6 /l, while for fallout Cs137 transfer coefficients were approximately 4 x 10-3 /1. The transfer coefficient is defined as the daily intake of the radionuclide in the feed in pCi, divided by the resulting concentration of the radionuclide in the milk (pCi /l). The rate of secretion of Mn54 into milk is extremely low, due to poor absorption from the gut. Manganese54 was not found in muscle tissue of dairy cattle, but was in the liver of several slaughtered cows at levels of 30 to 341 pCi /kg of wet tissue, comparable to the usual Csl37 levels.

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