Abstract
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 sector to humans or other predators Muscle and liver tissues were collected from 76 raccocus from locations on and near the Department of Euergy's Savannah River Site SRS) in South Carolina and analyzed for radiocesium ( 137 Cs). Raccoons were trapped from areas near a former eactor cooling reservoir known to be contaminated from former nuclear production activities, a stream drain age system also known to have received 137 Cs contamination from low level releases and 1 on-site reference areas that have been unimpacted by nuclear production activities. Raccoons from 3 hunting areas 3-15 km of SBS were used as off site reference samples 137 Cs levels differed between the 3 treatment groups (contamited, on-site reference, off-site reference for both muscle and liver tissues. Muscle and liver samples from raccoons from on-site reference arras were higher in 137 Cs than those from off-site reference animals. 137 Cs in raccoon tissues from contaminated hahitals exceeded levels in the pooled reference animals. The 2 contaminated areas differed in 137 Cs tissue levels Only 1 of 20 raccoons front contaminated sites on the SBS exceeded the European Economic Community (EEC) limit for 137 Cs in edible muscle tissue of 0.6 Bq 137 Cs/g fresliweight cdible muscle Further, none of the raccoons froin the on site reference areas exceeded EEC limits for muscle It is milikely that the hunting public faces any significant risk from esposure to raccoons from the SRS. Although some raccoons night stray off the SRS which is closed to public access, most of the heavily contaminated areas are not adjacent to the edges of the site, decreasing the potential for off-site movement of contaminated animal.s
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