Plutonium Inhalation Studies. II. Excretion and Translocation of Inhaled Pu 239 O 2 Dust
Of 4 dogs given an inhalation exposure to a Pu239O2 aerosol, 2 were killed immediately after exposure and 2 were killed 39 weeks after exposure. All urine and feces were collected on the latter 2 dogs for determination of plutonium content. All tissues from all dogs were similarly assayed. Immediately after exposure about 75% of the total Pu deposited was found in the lungs, 23% in upper respiratory passages and gastrointestinal tract, and less than 2% in all other tissues. The daily excretion of Pu in urine and feces was described by power function equations. However, the day-to-day variation in amounts excreted were as great as 20-fold or more. Of the total deposited dose only about 1.5% was excreted in urine during a 39-week period. One dog excreted 55% in feces and another 39%. Thirty-nine weeks after exposure the lungs and the bronchial and mediastinal lymph nodes of one dog contained 43% of the total initial dose, almost equally distributed between the 2 tissues. In the other dog the lungs contained 53% and the lymph nodes 7% of the dose. All other tissues in both dogs contained about 0.5% of the dose. The results were compared with published results for mice and rats which cleared plutonium particles from lung at more rapid rates than dogs. The smaller particle size of plutonium inhaled by the rodents may explain the differences. The data demonstrate the insolubility of PuO2 in respiratory tissues and emphasize the major role which the lymphatic system plays in the clearance of insoluble materials from the lungs. Comparison of the average concentrations of Pu in lung and lymph node leads to the conclusion that lymph nodes will receive a greater radiation dose than lung. However, comparison of average concentrations may be misleading because it implies uniform distribution of Pu within a tissue and does not allow for localization of plutonium in hot spots which cause microscopic volumes of tissue to receive many times greater radiation doses than the average.
- Research Organization:
- General Electric Co., Richland, Wash.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- NSA Number:
- NSA-15-021964
- OSTI ID:
- 4049849
- Report Number(s):
- HW-SA-2098
- Journal Information:
- Archives of Environmental Health, Journal Name: Archives of Environmental Health Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 2; ISSN 0003-9896
- Country of Publication:
- Country unknown/Code not available
- Language:
- English
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