Iron-55 in Man and the Biosphere

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Abstract
Since the 1961-62 nuclear tests, Fe55 has increased from a minor fraction of fallout to the most abundant of all fallout isotopes. Iron-55 is easily measurable in almost all living organisms of the biosphere. Although it produces only a small radiation dose, the study of its transfer and concentration in various organisms is of interest because iron is an essential element to most of these organisms. This paper presents data on the levels of Fe55 in man at many places on the earth, in foods, in the ocean environment, and attempts to correlate some of these levels. The average levels of Fe55 range from 5 nCi in people in South Africa to 1100 nCi in some of the Alaskan Eskimos. Average levels in women are significantly higher than in men. The highest levels in humans are associated with a high consumption of ocean fish.

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