Birds as monitors of radionuclide contamination

摘要: Of the major classes of environmental contaminants, radionuclides tend to be generally less well known and frequently studied than heavy metals or organic compounds. This may because in past elevated levels contamination with have only been a problem relatively few limited geographical localities. Most these localities either prohibited greatly restricted public access safety security considerations (e.g. nuclear weapons production testing sites). As result, free-living flora fauna has tended apparent both scientific community contaminations such substances as agricultural herbicides pesticides. The latter, for example, often produce spectre sick dying birds areas where they are commonly encountered by public.