Reduction of radiocaesium transfer to broiler chicken meat by a clinoptilolite modified with hexacyanoferrate

The effect of RADEKONT (a natural clinoptilolite modified by hexacyanoferrate) on Cs-137 uptake into meat was tested in experiments with broiler chickens. Three experiments determined the influence of RADEKONT on radiocaesium transfer after single or repeated applications of artificially contaminated feed mixture and one experiment investigated the effect of RADEKONT when feeding a mixture containing wheat contaminated by the Chernobyl fallout. Independent of the effect of RADEKONT, the uptake of radiocaesium was faster in leg meat than in breast meat. Reduction factors (Cs-137 transfer without the RADEKONT additive compared with those observed after supplementation of the additive into the feed mixture) of 1.1-1.3 and 1.2-2.3, respectively, were achieved after single and repeated administrations of artificially contaminated feed. No significant differences in reduction between breast and leg meat were observed. RADEKONT was more effective when the chickens were fed with Chernobyl-contaminated wheat (reduction factors of up to 3.7) than an artificial Cs-137 source. RADEKONT as a supplement during the decontamination period decreased the biological half-life of Cs-137 to less than 1 day. The timing of the application of RADEKONT might be important in determining its effectiveness, especially in young, rapidly growing chickens.