A mathematical model for the turnover of 137Cs and potassium in pike (Esox lucius) is described. It is assumed that the change in body-burden of the elements is the difference between the intake and excretion, which both are supposed to be functions of the metabolic rate. The model, quantitatively based on existing data on the food of pike and its concentrations of 137Cs and potassium, has been applied to calculate the biological half-time of the elements in pike from Lake Ulkesjon and estimated as 1.3 yr and 0.55 yr, respectively, for a pike weighing 500 g and at a water temperature of 8–10°C. The influences on the calculations of various assumptions about the intake and elimination of the elements are also discussed.
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Sten Carlsson (1978) studied this question.