Tadpoles can be used to measure the amount of radiocesium, a radioactive material, in aquatic environments, according to new research from University of Georgia scientists.
Tadpoles can be used to measure the amount of radiocesium, a radioactive material, in aquatic environments, according to new research from University of Georgia scientists.
Whether from nuclear accidents, global fallout from weapons testing, or production of nuclear energy, tadpoles could be used to determine the extent and severity of radioactive contamination.
James C. Leaphart, lead investigator on the 32-day study, evaluated the rate at which the environmental pollutant radiocesium, a byproduct of nuclear production, accumulated through time in bullfrog tadpoles.
Taken from an uncontaminated wetland, the tadpoles were placed in various locations in a canal on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site, a former nuclear production facility. The canal received releases of radiocesium from a nearby reactor from 1954 to 1964.
Read more at: University of Georgia
This is a captured bullfrog tadpole surrounded by the nutrients in the vegetation. (Photo Credit: Terry This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
