Accidental exposure to americium

Conference · Mon Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5479065

Heid, K R

This report desribes an accident in which a 64-year old Hanford nuclear worker was exposed to high levels of americium while working in an americium recovery facility in 1976. As a result of the accident, he was heavily externally contaminated with americium, sustained with a substantial internal deposition of this isotope, and was burned with concentrated nitric acid and injured by flying debris about the face and neck. The immediate and longer-term treatment given the patient, including the decontamination efforts and clinical laboratory studies, are discussed. Special in-vivo equipment and techniques were used to measure the americium deposited in the patient. These and subsequent in-vivo measurements were used to estimate the dose rates and the accumulated doses to body organs. Urinary and fecal excreta were collected and analyzed for americium content. The interpretation of these data was complicated by the fact that the intake resulted both from inhalation and from solubilization of the americium embedded in facial tissues as a result of the accident. A total of 1100 ..mu..Ci was excreted in urine and feces during the first 2 years following the accident. The long-term use of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA), used principally as the zinc salt, is discussed including the method, route of administration, and effectiveness. To date, the patient has apparently experienced no complications attributable to this extensive course of therapy, even though he was given approximately 560 g of DTPA. 6 refs.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, WA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 5479065
• Report Number(s): PNL-SA-13155; CONF-8506136-1; ON: DE85012794
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ACCIDENTS
ACTINIDES
AMERICIUM
AMINO ACIDS
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CHELATING AGENTS
CLEANING
CLEARANCE
CONTAMINATION
DATA
DECONTAMINATION
DRUGS
DTPA
ELEMENTS
EXCRETION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
INFORMATION
INHALATION
INJURIES
INTAKE
METALS
NUMERICAL DATA
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PERSONNEL
RADIATION ACCIDENTS
RADIOPROTECTIVE SUBSTANCES
THERAPY
TRANSPLUTONIUM ELEMENTS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS