(90)Sr in teeth of cattle abandoned in evacuation zone: Record of pollution from the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

Here we determined the (90)Sr concentrations in the teeth of cattle abandoned in the evacuation area of the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP) accident. (90)Sr activity concentrations in the teeth varied from 6–831 mBq (g Ca)(−1) and exhibited a positive relationship with the degree of radioactive contamination that the cattle experienced. Even within an individual animal, the specific activity of (90)Sr (Bq (g Sr)(−1)) varied depending on the development stage of the teeth during the FNPP accident: teeth that were early in development exhibited high (90)Sr specific activities, while teeth that were late in development exhibited low specific activities. These findings demonstrate that (90)Sr is incorporated into the teeth during tooth development; thus, tooth (90)Sr activity concentrations reflect environmental (90)Sr levels during tooth formation. Assessment of (90)Sr in teeth could provide useful information about internal exposure to (90)Sr radiation and allow for the measurement of time-course changes in the degree of environmental (90)Sr pollution.