Concentrations of alpha-emitting isotopes of U and Th in uranium miners' and millers' tissues

Journal Article · Tue Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987 · Health Phys.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1097/00004032-198709000-00005· OSTI ID:6063290

Singh, N P; Bennett, D D; Wrenn, M E; Saccomanno, G

The concentrations of alpha-emitting isotopes of U (/sup 234/U, /sup 235/U, and /sup 238/U) and Th (/sup 228/Th, /sup 230/Th, and /sup 232/Th) were determined in soft tissues and bones of three deceased U miners and two deceased U millers. The soft tissues generally included lung, liver, kidney, spleen, gonad and heart. The concentrations of U isotopes in the miners' lungs varied up to a factor of 18, suggesting that the accumulations of U in lungs at the time of death varied drastically. The concentrations of /sup 230/Th in the miners' lungs were similar to the concentrations of /sup 234/U and /sup 238/U. The concentrations of U isotopes and /sup 230/Th in millers' lungs also differed by a factor of almost 10. The most noticeable difference between the concentrations of U isotopes (/sup 238/U and /sup 234/U) and /sup 230/Th was in the skeleton of U miners and millers. The /sup 230/Th//sup 234/U concentration ratios were as high as 94 in bones of miners and as high as 23 in millers. These results suggest that the fraction of Th transferred from blood to bones is much higher than the fraction of U transferred, and that the residence time of Th in skeleton is much higher than the residence time of U as suggested in ICRP Publication 30.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City
• OSTI ID: 6063290
• Journal Information: Health Phys.; (United States), Journal Name: Health Phys.; (United States) Vol. 53:3; 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
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ALPHA PARTICLES
BODY
CHARGED PARTICLES
DISTRIBUTION
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LUNGS
METALLURGY
MINING
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NUCLEI
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
ORGANS
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE KINETICS
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
SKELETON
THORIUM 228
THORIUM 230
THORIUM 232
THORIUM ISOTOPES
TISSUE DISTRIBUTION
URANIUM 234
URANIUM 235
URANIUM 238
URANIUM ISOTOPES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES