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Full-Text Articles in Biology
Raccoons As Potential Vectors Of Radionuclide Contamination To Human Food Chains From A Nuclear Industrial Site, Karen F. Gaines, Christine G. Lord, C. Shane Boring, I. Lehr Brisbin Jr., Michael Gochfeld, Joanna Burger
Raccoons As Potential Vectors Of Radionuclide Contamination To Human Food Chains From A Nuclear Industrial Site, Karen F. Gaines, Christine G. Lord, C. Shane Boring, I. Lehr Brisbin Jr., Michael Gochfeld, Joanna Burger
Faculty Research & Creative Activity
Although the raccoon (Procyon lotor) is commonly harvested and consumed throughout the southeastern United States, little is known regarding the fate and effects of environmental pollutants to this species, and the potential for it to act as a contaminant vector to humans or other predators. Muscle and liver tissues were collected from 76 raccoons from locations on and near the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina and analyzed for radiocesium (137Cs). Raccoons were trapped from areas near a former reactor cooling reservoir known to be contaminated from former nuclear production activities, a stream drainage system also …
Metals And Metallothionein In The Liver Of Raccoons: Utility For Environmental Assessment And Monitoring, Joanna Burger, Christine G. Lord, Edward J. Yurkow, Lynn Mcgrath, Karen F. Gaines, I. Lehr Brisbin Jr., Michael Gochfeld
Metals And Metallothionein In The Liver Of Raccoons: Utility For Environmental Assessment And Monitoring, Joanna Burger, Christine G. Lord, Edward J. Yurkow, Lynn Mcgrath, Karen F. Gaines, I. Lehr Brisbin Jr., Michael Gochfeld
Faculty Research & Creative Activity
The relationship between metallothionein levels and concentrations of several metals and radionuclides was examined in liver tissues of raccoons (Procyon lotor, n = 47) from the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina to determine the applicability of metallothioneins as an initial screening device for exposure assessment in free-living mammals and environmental monitoring. Using a fluorescent marker and a cell sorter to measure metallothionein, a significant positive correlation was found across animals between levels of metallothioneins and concentrations of selenium (Pearson’s r = .30) , mercury (Pearson’s r = .31) , and copper (Pearson’s r = .30) in …