James H. Jenkins

Mercury levels in tissues of mammals collected in Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina were compared using hair mercury concentration as an index of total mercury content. Bobcats (Lynx rufus), raccoons (Procyon lotor), opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) and gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) from the Lower Coastal Plain of Georgia had higher mercury levels than specimens from the Upper Coastal Plain of Piedmont. The highest individual mercury levels in raccoons and bobcats occurred in specimens from the Georgia Lower Coastal Plain flatwoods. Skeletal muscle and liver of individual raccoons...

Specimens of various game species from Virginia, North Carolina. South Carolina, Georgia. Alabama, and Florida were analyzed for all gamma ray emitting radioisotopes by gamma ray spectrometry methods in a whole body counter. It was possible to determine radionuclide concentrations in the field with relatively simple gamma ray detecting equipment. The most important isotope was Cesium-137. Specimens from the Mountain. Piedmont. and Upper Coastal Plain regions were generally low; those from the Lower Coastal Plain region had significantly higher cOncentrations. Levels of contamination ranged...