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Title: Transfer of aged Pu to cattle grazing on a contaminated environment

Abstract

Estimates are obtained of the fraction of ingested or inhaled 239+240Pu transferred to blood and tissues of a reproducing herd of beef cattle, individuals of which grazed within fenced enclosures for up to 1064 d under natural conditions with no supplemental feeding at an arid site contaminated 16 y previously with Pu oxide. The estimated (geometric mean (GM)) fraction of Pu transferred from the gastrointestinal tract to blood serum was about 5 x 10(-6) (geometric standard error (GSE) = 1.4) with an approximate upper bound of about 2 x 10(-5). These results are in reasonable agreement with the value of 1 x 10(-5) recommended for human radiation protection purposes by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) for insoluble Pu oxides that are free of very small particles. Also, results from a laboratory study by Stanley (St75), in which large doses of /sup 238/Pu were orally administered daily to dairy cattle for 19 consecutive days, suggest that aged 239+240Pu at this arid grazing site may not be more biologically available to blood serum than fresh 239+240Pu oxide. The estimated fractions of 239+240Pu transferred from blood serum to tissues of adult grazing cattle were: femur (3.2 X 10(-2), 1.8; GM, GSE),more » vertebra (1.4 X 10(-1), 1.6), liver (2.3 X 10(-1), 2.0), muscle (1.3 X 10(-1), 1.9), female gonads (7.9 X 10(-5), 1.5), and kidney (1.4 X 10(-3), 1.7). The blood-to-tissue fractional transfers for cattle initially exposed in utero were greater than those exposed only as adults by a factor of about 4 for femur (statistically significant) and of about 2 for other tissues (not significant). The estimated (GM) fraction of inhaled Pu initially deposited in the pulmonary lung was 0.34 (GSE = 1.3) for adults and 0.15 (GSE = 1.3) for cattle initially exposed in utero (a statistically significant difference).« less

Authors:
; ; ; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
OSTI Identifier:
5197249
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Health Phys.; (United States)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 54:3
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.; FOOD CHAINS; CONTAMINATION; PLUTONIUM 239; BIOLOGICAL AVAILABILITY; TISSUE DISTRIBUTION; PLUTONIUM 240; AIR POLLUTION; BLOOD; CATTLE; GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT; INGESTION; INHALATION; PREGNANCY; RADIONUCLIDE KINETICS; ACTINIDE ISOTOPES; ACTINIDE NUCLEI; ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; ANIMALS; BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS; BODY FLUIDS; DIGESTIVE SYSTEM; DISTRIBUTION; DOMESTIC ANIMALS; EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI; EVEN-ODD NUCLEI; HEAVY NUCLEI; INTAKE; ISOTOPES; MAMMALS; MATERIALS; NUCLEI; PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES; POLLUTION; RADIOISOTOPES; RUMINANTS; VERTEBRATES; YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES; 560162* - Radionuclide Effects, Kinetics, & Toxicology- Animals, Plants, Microorganisms, & Cells

Citation Formats

Gilbert, R O, Engel, D W, Smith, D D, Shinn, J H, Anspaugh, L R, and Eisele, G R. Transfer of aged Pu to cattle grazing on a contaminated environment. United States: N. p., 1988. Web. doi:10.1097/00004032-198803000-00010.
Gilbert, R O, Engel, D W, Smith, D D, Shinn, J H, Anspaugh, L R, & Eisele, G R. Transfer of aged Pu to cattle grazing on a contaminated environment. United States. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004032-198803000-00010
Gilbert, R O, Engel, D W, Smith, D D, Shinn, J H, Anspaugh, L R, and Eisele, G R. 1988. "Transfer of aged Pu to cattle grazing on a contaminated environment". United States. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004032-198803000-00010.
@article{osti_5197249,
title = {Transfer of aged Pu to cattle grazing on a contaminated environment},
author = {Gilbert, R O and Engel, D W and Smith, D D and Shinn, J H and Anspaugh, L R and Eisele, G R},
abstractNote = {Estimates are obtained of the fraction of ingested or inhaled 239+240Pu transferred to blood and tissues of a reproducing herd of beef cattle, individuals of which grazed within fenced enclosures for up to 1064 d under natural conditions with no supplemental feeding at an arid site contaminated 16 y previously with Pu oxide. The estimated (geometric mean (GM)) fraction of Pu transferred from the gastrointestinal tract to blood serum was about 5 x 10(-6) (geometric standard error (GSE) = 1.4) with an approximate upper bound of about 2 x 10(-5). These results are in reasonable agreement with the value of 1 x 10(-5) recommended for human radiation protection purposes by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) for insoluble Pu oxides that are free of very small particles. Also, results from a laboratory study by Stanley (St75), in which large doses of /sup 238/Pu were orally administered daily to dairy cattle for 19 consecutive days, suggest that aged 239+240Pu at this arid grazing site may not be more biologically available to blood serum than fresh 239+240Pu oxide. The estimated fractions of 239+240Pu transferred from blood serum to tissues of adult grazing cattle were: femur (3.2 X 10(-2), 1.8; GM, GSE), vertebra (1.4 X 10(-1), 1.6), liver (2.3 X 10(-1), 2.0), muscle (1.3 X 10(-1), 1.9), female gonads (7.9 X 10(-5), 1.5), and kidney (1.4 X 10(-3), 1.7). The blood-to-tissue fractional transfers for cattle initially exposed in utero were greater than those exposed only as adults by a factor of about 4 for femur (statistically significant) and of about 2 for other tissues (not significant). The estimated (GM) fraction of inhaled Pu initially deposited in the pulmonary lung was 0.34 (GSE = 1.3) for adults and 0.15 (GSE = 1.3) for cattle initially exposed in utero (a statistically significant difference).},
doi = {10.1097/00004032-198803000-00010},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5197249}, journal = {Health Phys.; (United States)},
number = ,
volume = 54:3,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1988},
month = {Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1988}
}