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Anim Sci J. 2016 Apr;87(4):607-11. doi: 10.1111/asj.12463. Epub 2015 Aug 16.

Distribution of radioactive cesium and its seasonal variations in cattle living in the "difficult-to-return zone" of the Fukushima nuclear accident.

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Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Morioka.
Society for Animal Refugee and Environment post Nuclear Disaster, Tokyo, Japan.


The amount of radioactive cesium in various tissues of cattle which lived in the highly contaminated area designated as the "difficult-to-return zone", was measured in May and December of 2014. The average concentration of radioactive cesium in the skeletal muscles ranged from 3900 to 5500 Bq/kg, and there was no significant difference between May and December. The sirloin (in December), tenderloin and top round (in May and December) showed significantly higher concentrations of cesium than the neck muscle, which is generally used for the radioactivity inspection. The Longus colli muscle, which is also used for the inspection in some institutions, showed the same radioactivity as the neck muscle. Study results indicated that relative cesium concentrations in internal organs were higher in May compared to December. There were high correlations of cesium concentration between the blood and other tissues. However, regression coefficients between the blood and muscles were significantly higher in December than those in May. When radioactivity in the neck or Longus colli muscles between 50 to 100 Bq/kg is detected, the slaughtered cattle should be re-inspected using another muscle, such as top round or sirloin, to prevent marketing of meat that violates the criteria of the Food Sanitation Act.


cattle; cesium; distribution; radioactive contamination

[Indexed for MEDLINE]

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