Kidney disease in beagles injected with polonium-210

Journal Article · Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · Radiation Research; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2307/3577752· OSTI ID:7062000

Bruenger, F W; Lloyd, R D; Taylor, G N; Miller, S C; Mays, C W ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City (USA)

An unusually high incidence of kidney disease (tubular degeneration and necrosis with fibrous replacement) was observed among 24 beagles injected at about 5 years of age with 116 or 329 kBq 226Ra kg-1 but not among an additional 10 beagles given about 39 kBq 226Ra kg-1. This 226Ra solution also contained 210Pb, 210Bi, and 210Po. To determine whether the kidney disease was related to the radiation from 226Ra and its short-lived progeny or to the alpha radiation from 210Po, 2 beagles about 7 years of age were injected with 451 kBq 226Ra kg-1 of 210Po citrate. Measurements of polonium retention in the kidneys of 4 additional beagles given 210Bi citrate enabled us to model the retention of these emitters in the dog kidney and to estimate the kidney dose from the alpha radiation of 210Po following injection of either 226Ra + 210Bi + 210Po or 210Po only. Autoradiography revealed that almost equal concentrations of 210Po were in the tubular epithelium and/or its basement membrane and in the glomeruli, but very little of the 210Bi deposited in kidney tissue was present in the glomeruli. Radiation damage to the kidneys similar to that observed previously in beagles given 226Ra solutions that also contained 210Bi and 210Po was seen among the beagles given 210Po but not in the dogs given purified 226Ra. The analysis of these data indicated that the relatively high incidence of kidney disease among the mature beagles injected with 226Ra and its accompanying 210Bi and 210Po resulted from alpha irradiation of the kidneys by the substantial amount of 210Po that was in the injection solution.

• OSTI ID: 7062000
• Journal Information: Radiation Research; (USA), Vol. 122:3; ISSN 0033-7587
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
BISMUTH 210
RETENTION
KIDNEYS
RADIONUCLIDE KINETICS
LEAD 210
POLONIUM 210
RADIUM 226
UROGENITAL SYSTEM DISEASES
RADIOINDUCTION
AUTORADIOGRAPHY
BEAGLES
CELL MEMBRANES
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION INJURIES
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ANIMALS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
BISMUTH ISOTOPES
BODY
CARBON 14 DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CELL CONSTITUENTS
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DISEASES
DOGS
DOSES
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
HEAVY ION DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
HEAVY NUCLEI
INJURIES
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LEAD ISOTOPES
MAMMALS
MEMBRANES
NANOSEC LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
ORGANS
POLONIUM ISOTOPES
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIUM ISOTOPES
VERTEBRATES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
560162* - Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
& Toxicology- Animals
Plants
Microorganisms
& Cells