A rapid scintigraphic technique for studying the behavior of trace metal compounds in soils and plant systems

Abstract A Picker Nuclear Dynacamera has been used to study the behavior of trace toxic metal compounds in soil and plant systems. To demonstrate the use of this camera system in studying environmental problems, short lived isotopes of some of the more common heavy metal pollutants Cd, Zn, and Cu were made by charged particle activation using the UCLA medical cyclotron. These isotopes were purified and added to the surface of soil columns as the nitrates, oxides or sulfides. The columns were then leached sequentially with water, EDTA and/or DTPA. The Picker Scanning Camera was used for real time detection of movement and flow patterns of metal isotopes within soil. After the initial adsorption at the surface, the metals from all sources were resistant to leaching by water. The metals when applied to the soils as the nitrates were easily mobilized with either EDTA or DTPA and moved as a unit with the advancing front. The metals in the oxide form were only slowly mobilized by these chelates. Therefore, it r...