Radioisotope tracing technique are used to understand the uptake of contaminants, and nutrients, bioaccumulation, by aquatic organisms and terrestrial plants
ANSTO Lucas Heights offers the capabilities to use radioisotope tracing techniques to understand the uptake, internal translocation (i.e., biodistribution) and impacts of contaminants and nutrients in a range of environmental receptors under controlled conditions. We can provide insights into the live-organism biokinetics for a range of radio elements: 32P, 35S, 46Sc, 48V, 57Co, 59Fe, 65Zn, 67Cu, 74As, 75Se, 85Sr, 109Cd, 110mAg, 134Cs, 141Ce, 198Au, 203Hg, 126I.
ANSTO can formulate these radioelements into a range of chemical species (e.g., Hg0, HgCl2, HgS, MeHg) and matrices to meet your requirements.
Our radiation-licenced facilities include an aquatic laboratory to conduct bioaccumulation and effects studies with a wide range of aquatic organisms (both freshwater and marine) using static renewal or recirculating aquaria setups. Using live animal radiotracer techniques for aquatic organisms can yield insights into preferential contaminant exposure pathways, biokinetics of contaminant uptake and depuration, internal biodistribution (using advanced in-vitro imaging techniques) and impacts of physiological changes due to growth/development on contaminant bioaccumulation, all while reducing the number of animals required for these studies. Recent research using these techniques includes studies to assess the potential risks of residual mercury in subsea production infrastructure abandoned on the seabed as part of offshore oil and gas infrastructure decommissioning.
ANSTO also operates a large greenhouse for conducting plant/crop studies to understand the efficacy of novel fertiliser formulations, the impact of drought on native plants and the interaction between mycorrhizal fungi and plants to share nutrients among other plant/agricultural research questions.
Costings will vary depending on facility usage, timelines, and analytical needs. Please contact our team to discuss your needs so we can build a detailed costed proposal to suit your requirements