Simultaneous determination of alpha-emitting radionuclides of thorium and plutonium in human tissues including bone
A method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of environmental, i.e., non-occupational, levels of ..cap alpha..-emitting isotopes of thorium and plutonium in human lung, lymph nodes, liver, kidney, thyroid, spleen, gonads, and bone. Known amounts of soft tissues (5-850 g) spiked with 1-2 dpm tracers of /sup 229/Th and /sup 242/Pu are wet ashed with nitric acid, and H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ with occasional addition of HNO/sub 3/ and H/sub 2/O/sub 2/. Th and Pu are coprecipitated with 10 mg of Fe carrier by gradual addition of ammonium hydroxide. The precipitate is dissolved in HNO/sub 3/ and adjusted to 4 M. Th and Pu are co-extracted into 25% (v/v) trilaurylamine in xylene. Th is backwashed with 10 M HCl and the Pu is back-extracted with 2 M H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/. Th and Pu are electrodeposited separately on platinum planchets and determined by ..cap alpha.. spectrometry. Bone samples are wet ashed with nitric acid and H/sub 2/O/sub 2/, after spiking with /sup 229/Th and /sup 242/Pu tracers. Th and Pu are coprecipitated with calcium oxalate by adding oxalic acid. The precipitate is heated at 550/sup 0/C, dissolved in nitric acid, and adjusted to 4 M. Then extractions, back-extractions, electrodeposition and measurements are performed as described for soft tissues. The recovery for Th ranged from 30 to 93% with a mean of 55% and for Pu from 32 to 94% with a mean of 71%. 4 figures, 2 tables.
- Research Organization:
- New York Univ. Medical Center, NY
- OSTI ID:
- 5642486
- Journal Information:
- Anal. Chem.; (United States), Journal Name: Anal. Chem.; (United States) Vol. 51:12; ISSN ANCHA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
400103* -- Radiometric & Radiochemical Procedures-- (-1987)
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ACTINIDES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ALPHA PARTICLES
ALPHA SPECTROSCOPY
BODY
BONE TISSUES
CHARGED PARTICLES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CONNECTIVE TISSUE
DEPOSITION
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
ELECTRODEPOSITION
ELECTROLYSIS
ELEMENTS
ENDOCRINE GLANDS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
EXTRACTION
GLANDS
GONADS
HEAVY NUCLEI
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN PEROXIDE
INORGANIC ACIDS
ISOTOPES
KIDNEYS
LIVER
LUNGS
LYMPH NODES
LYMPHATIC SYSTEM
LYSIS
METALS
NITRIC ACID
NUCLEI
ORGANS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PEROXIDES
PLUTONIUM
PLUTONIUM 242
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
QUALITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
RADIOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS
RADIOISOTOPES
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SPECTROSCOPY
SPLEEN
SULFURIC ACID
SURFACE COATING
THORIUM
THORIUM 229
THORIUM ISOTOPES
THYROID
TISSUES
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES