Accumulation of 137Cs by larvae of the midge Chironomus riparius from sediment: Effect of potassium

Abstract

We studied the effect of potassium on the uptake of radiocesium from sediment by larvae of the midge Chironomus riparius. Sediment ingestion rate was determined for one week. After 24 h the gut content remained constant, indicating that equilibrium was reached between sediment ingestion and sediment elimination. These data were used to account for radiocesium present in the gut in subsequent uptake experiments. Reference sediment was equilibrated with solutions containing different concentrations of potassium: 1, 10, 100, and 1,000 microM. Adsorption of 137Cs to the sediment was investigated. Three different radiocesium levels (0.3, 0.6, and 1.2 KBq/ml) were applied at the four different potassium levels. In all cases more than 94% of all radiocesium was adsorbed to the sediment within 48 h. The sediment, equilibrated with the four different potassium levels, was spiked with a constant amount of 296 Bq/ml 137Cs. Accumulation by midge larvae was followed for one week, and subsequently elimination was followed for another week. No significant differences in radiocesium levels in midge larvae among the treatments were found after one week of exposure. However, using a one-compartment accumulation model, a small but significant effect of potassium in water and sediment on the uptake and elimination rate constants (ka and ke) was found. These results indicate that although differences were rather small, radiocesium accumulation decreased with increasing potassium level in the sediment.