Effect of physico-chemical properties on metabolism of transuranium oxide aerosols inhaled by beagle dogs
The oxides of four transuranium isotopes ($sup 238$Pu, $sup 239$Pu, $sup 241$Am, and $sup 244$Cm), prepared by identical methods of calcining the oxalate at 750$sup 0$C for two hours, had different physico-chemical properties. For all four oxides the density ranges from 9.8 to 11.4 g cm$sup -3$ and initial ultrafilterability (suspended fraction of activity less than 24 A) varied from 0.002 percent for $sup 239$PuO$sub 2$ to 2.24 percent for $sup 238$PuO$sub 2$. Dogs were exposed by nose-only techniques to aerosols generated by nebulizing water suspensions of the oxides. The dogs were sacrificed at intervals from one week to about a year postexposure. The rate of translocation of material from lung to other tissues increased from $sup 239$Pu to $sup 238$Pu to $sup 241$Am to $sup 244$Cm, possibly reflecting the decrease in mean particle size from an MMD of 0.7 $mu$m to $sup 239$PuO$sub 2$ to 0.6 $mu$m for $sup 238$PuO$sub 2$ to 0.4 $mu$m for $sup 241$AmO$sub 2$ to 0.1 $mu$m for $sup 244$CmO/sub x/. Accumulation of the isotopes in the liver and skeleton as a percentage of final body burden was 1 percent $sup 239$Pu and 7 to 23 percent for $sup 238$Pu at about a year postexposure, while at 270 days postexposure, values were 40 percent for $sup 241$Am and 40 to 30 percent for $sup 244$Cm. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, Wash. (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- E(45-1)-1830
- NSA Number:
- NSA-33-009623
- OSTI ID:
- 4125809
- Report Number(s):
- BNWL-SA--5430; CONF-751073--1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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