Metabolism and gastrointestinal absorption of neptunium and protactinium in adult baboons

Conference · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5641940

Ralston, L G; Cohen, N; Bhattacharyya, M H; Larsen, R P; Ayres, L; Oldham, R D; Moretti, E S

The metabolism of neptunium and protactinium was studied in adult female baboons following intravenous injection and intragastric intubation. Immediately following intravenous injection (10/sup -1/ to 10/sup -10/ mg Np per kg body wt), neptunium cleared rapidly from blood, deposited primarily in the skeleton (54 +- 5%) and liver (3 +- 0.2%), and was excreted predominantly via urine (40 +- 3%). For the first year post injection, neptunium was retained with a biological half-time of approx.100 days in liver and 1.5 +- 0.2 yr in bone. In comparison, injected protactinium (10/sup -9/ mg/kg) was retained in blood in higher concentrations and was initially eliminated in urine to a lesser extent (6 +- 3%). In vivo measurements indicated that protactinium was retained in bone (65 +- 0.3%) with a half-time of 3.5 +- 0.6 yr. Differences in the physicochemical states of the neptunium or protactinium solutions injected did not alter the metabolic behavior of these nuclides. The gastrointestinal absorption value for neptunium in two fasted baboons, sacrificed at 1 day post administration, was determined to be 0.92 +- 0.04%. Of the total amount of neptunium absorbed, 52 +- 3% was retained in bone, 6 +- 2% was in liver, and 42 +- 0.1% was excreted in urine. A method was developed to estimate GI absorption values for both nuclides in baboons which were not sacrificed. Absorption values calculated by this method for neptunium and protactinium in fasted baboons were 1.8 +- 0.8% and 0.65 +- 0.01%, respectively. Values for fed animals were 1 to 2 orders of magnitude less than those for fasted animals. 14 refs., 3 figs., 4 tabs. (DT)

• Research Organization: New York Univ., NY (USA). Inst. of Environmental Medicine; Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76EV03382; W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 5641940
• Report Number(s): CONF-850473-4; ON: DE85015414
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560172* -- Radiation Effects-- Nuclide Kinetics & Toxicology-- Animals-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ABSORPTION
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ANIMALS
APES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL HALF-LIFE
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BIOLOGICAL WASTES
BLOOD
BODY
BODY FLUIDS
CLEARANCE
DATA
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
DISTRIBUTION
EXCRETION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FASTING
FECES
GLANDS
HEAVY NUCLEI
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
INFORMATION
INJECTION
INTAKE
INTESTINAL ABSORPTION
INTRAVENOUS INJECTION
ISOTOPES
KIDNEYS
LIVER
MAMMALS
MATERIALS
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NEPTUNIUM 239
NEPTUNIUM 240
NEPTUNIUM ISOTOPES
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
ORGANS
PRIMATES
PROTACTINIUM 233
PROTACTINIUM ISOTOPES
RADIOISOTOPES
SKELETON
TISSUE DISTRIBUTION
UPTAKE
URINE
VERTEBRATES
WASTES