A radioactivation method for the determination of rare earth elements in hot spring water was studied and the concentrations of those elements in 5 Beppu hot springs, Wairakei (New Zealand), and sea water were determined. The rare earth elements were coprecipitated on Ca-oxalate from 101 spring water and ignited and then irradiated b y KUR (neutron flux 4×1012n/cm2⋅sec) . After irradiation, the rare earth elements were separated radiochemically, and the radioactivities were measured with a 512 ch, pulse height analyzer. The concentrations of Sc, La, Sm, Eu, and Dy in the waters were 5.3-0.05 μg/l, 0.8-0.02 pg/l, 0.34-O.01μg/l, 0.04-0. 001 ftg/l, 0, 5-0.02 ag/l, respectively. The concentration of La in Beppu hot spring waters was considerably lower than that in Wairakei's.
Methyl iodide is one of the chemical forms of radioiodine which is known to be released in reactor accidents or in gaseous effluent from nuclear fuel chemical processing plants. Experiments are reported in which131I-labeled methyl iodide was administered intratracheally to male Wistar rats to study the metabolism of this substance. The fate of 131I-labeled methyl iodide administered to rats appeared to be very similar to that of radioiodine administered as inorganic iodide. This was confirmed by the comparison of thyroid uptake, extrathyroid retention, biological half-life of the isotope in the thyroid glands and composition of iodinated compounds of the thyroid glands in the both groups of rats administered 131I-labeled methyl iodide and Na131I. It appears, therefore, that methyl iodide is broken down rapidly in vivo, and the organically bound iodine being converted to iodide ion. It was also confirmed that the thyroid uptake and total body burden of 131I-labeled methyl iodide could be reduced by the administration of sodium iodide or potassium perchlorate.