PIXE analysis of Florida alligator plasma

Over the past several years, there has been an alarming increase in the death rate of some Florida alligators and a large decrease in the hatch rate of eggs. Several studies have been conducted to try to find a cause. These studies have ruled out toxins in the environment and high levels of toxic metals (mercury, for example). A previous study using Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) analysis suggested that there may be a difference in the level of selenium present in healthy alligators, compared with sick ones. The present study will investigate levels of copper, zinc, selenium, bromine, and rubidium in plasma from seven alligators kept in an isolated environment for a year. Although this study did show significant variations between different alligators and over time, it did not show any significant differences between the living alligators and the dead ones. Despite the fact that the results here show that there is no correlation between the alligators that die and the levels of elements in their bloodstream, there were some interesting findings about the differences between individuals and the range of elemental levels over the course of a year.