Evaluation of the transfer factor of technetium from water to aquatic plants

In the assessment of the environmental distribution of technetium (99 Tc) the transfer factor or bioconcentration factor is an important parameter.Generally the transfer factor is based on (pseudo) equilibria, first-orderuptake and elimination processes, and an absence of homeostatic control. Thepresent work evaluates the transfer factor concept for Tc in duckweed by evaluatingTc steady-state concentrations in duckweed against growth rate and nutrientconcentration. It was concluded that (1) Tc accumulation is not homeostaticallycontrolled and (2) the transfer factor is inversely proportional to the growthrate.