The Significance of 137Cs in Man and His Diet

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Abstract
Cesium-137 from the worldwide fallout of nuclear test debris is ubiquitous in the biosphere, throughout the human diet, and is present in measurable quantity in all the peoples of the world. Many measurements of 137Cs have been made in various media, including an AEC-sponsored 137Cs wholebody counting program and diet studies conducted by both AEC and PHS. Diet and whole body measurements of 137Cs from 1961 through 1967 are presented in this paper. The human subjects examined may not represent the average population since they have been drawn from a specific group, namely, laboratory and university personnel. The differences in 137Cs whole body burden across the United States are less than suggested by variations in regional 137Cs fallout levels. In fact, variations from one regional group to another are no greater than variations observed within a group from a specific location. This pattern is attributed to a common source of staple items such as grain products and meats. The biological half life of 137Cs in adults ranges from 50 to 150 days. This is sufficiently short that equilibrium, or near equilibrium, between diet and body burden is established, even when the dietary level of 137Cs changes fairly rapidly. The mean body burden of 137Cs in the U.S. population is presented, and the radiation exposure due to this burden is calculated. The concentration effect observed from diet to man will be discussed, as will the radiological importance of a possible long-term 137Cs reservoir in bone. The prediction of future levels of 137Cs in man and his diet will be given for several different circumstances.

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