Photogeologic map of the Kaiparowits Peak-1 quadrangle, Garfield County, Utah

The absorption of the important fission products by plants is quantitatively presented as a concentration factor which is defined as the ratio of the fission product concentration found in the leaves to the fission product concentration found in the nutrient substrate. Of the fission products, the isotopes of strontium were found to be the most important by virtue of their high concentration factor, long half-life, and low maximum permissible amounts for animals. Iodine and barium follow in importance, with cesium moderately important in some soils. All other fission products have concentration factors less than strontium by 100 or more. The effect on the concentration factor of different agricultural plants, as well as different organs of the same plant, causes variations of about a factor of ten or less for each isotope. The concentration factor tends to increase as the pH of the nutrient substrate is decreased. Addition of stable carrier to the substrate does not decrease the amount of the radioactive isotope that is absorbed into the plant. The presence of iodine and yttrium carrier actually causes a significant increase in the concentration of the respective radioactive isotopes in the plant tissue.

The following report provides data taken from investigations on radiation and the different biologic effects on it.