Current status of whole-body counting as a means to detect and quantify previous exposures to radioactive materials. Whole-body Counting Working Group

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · Health Physics; (USA)

OSTI ID:5923818

Toohey, R; Palmer, E; Anderson, L; Berger, C; Cohen, N; Eisele, G; Wachholz, B; Burr, W Jr ^[1]

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1. Argonne National Laboratory, IL (USA)

This report discusses the principles, techniques, and application of whole-body counting with respect to previous radiation exposure. Whole-body counting facilities are located nationwide and have a wide range of capabilities. A listing of these facilities is provided in Appendix A. However, only a few facilities are truly state-of-the-art and have the sophisticated capabilities required to attempt detection of low-level activity in vivo. Measurements made many years after exposure can be extremely difficult to interpret. The precision and accuracy of resulting dose estimates are functions of such factors as the assumptions made concerning intake, time since intake, radionuclide metabolism, and level of intake. The indiscriminate application of metabolic models to current body contents or minimum detectable amounts of radionuclides with relatively short effective half-lives (such as 137Cs) can lead to absurd results when used as a basis for calculating intakes 25 and 40 y ago. Skull counting for 90Sr-90Y and 239,240Pu can set upper limits on possible uptakes and radiation doses, but in the case of 239,240Pu, the limits are rather high. In both cases, the accuracy of the limits depends on the metabolic models used in the calculations. These models (ICRP 1979) were developed to set safety standards for the intakes of radionuclides by workers and are not intended to be used to back-calculate uptakes and radiation doses from measurements made long after the uptake. There are, therefore, large uncertainties in any conclusions derived from these calculations. The experience gained over the years with whole- and partial-body counting has consistently shown that they are of little use in determining body contents of radionuclides resulting from exposure to weapons debris decades earlier.

• OSTI ID: 5923818
• Journal Information: Health Physics; (USA), Journal Name: Health Physics; (USA) Vol. 60 Suppl 1; ISSN 0017-9078; ISSN HLTPA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560161* -- Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
& Toxicology-- Man
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CESIUM 137
CESIUM ISOTOPES
COUNTING TECHNIQUES
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DOSES
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
HEAVY NUCLEI
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
METABOLISM
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
PLUTONIUM 239
PLUTONIUM 240
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
RADIATION DOSES
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE KINETICS
STRONTIUM 90
STRONTIUM ISOTOPES
WHOLE-BODY COUNTING
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
YTTRIUM 90
YTTRIUM ISOTOPES