The Cesium-137 Content of Beef from Dairy and Feed-Lot Cattle

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Abstract
Samples of meat were collected from producing dairy cows, dry cows, young calves and feed-lot fattened cattle and analyzed for Cs137 potassium, fat and moisture. The diets, which were contaminated with varying levels of fallout Cs137, were analyzed to estimate daily intake of the nuclide. The Cs137 levels per kg of edible meat leveled off at less than 1% of the daily intake in mature dairy cattle, at 3% in feed-lot cattle and at 15% in calves. It is not clear whether differences are due to age ot the diet of the animals. The ratio of activity meat/milk per kg ranged from 1.2 to 4.9. It is estimated that the average consumer will obtain more Cs137 from milk than beef, although under certain conditions the reverse could easily occur.