Recent animal studies on the deposition, retention and translocation of plutonium compounds. [/sup 238/Pu, /sup 239/Pu]

Conference · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1975

OSTI ID:7352659

Bair, W. J.

In recent years experimental animal studies have been extended to include transuranics other than plutonium. The results of these experiments indicate that americium and curium, regardless of the chemical form in which they are inhaled, are largely translocated to liver and skeleton and do not accumulate in thoracic lymph nodes as does /sup 239/PuO/sub 2/. There is evidence that /sup 238/PuO/sub 2/ also translocates to liver and skeleton, although in lesser amounts than Am and Cm. When considering possible biological effects resulting from inhalation of transuranic elements, therefore, these findings shift some of the emphasis from the lungs to other tissues. These translocation patterns apply when the transuranics are inhaled individually; they may not apply when transuranics are inhaled in mixed oxides with uranium, a likely form in the developing breeder reactor program, or in any of the other exotic fuel forms. Biological studies of mixed transuranium oxides and possibly of other fuel forms are urgently needed to determine this. The finding that americium, curium, and sometimes /sup 238/Pu deposits in liver and skeleton emphasizes the need for continued development of therapeutic measures to remove the transuranics from blood, skeleton and soft tissue. Of course, we must continue to emphasize the need to develop measures for removing transuranics promptly from the lungs.

• Research Organization: Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, Wash. (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: E(45-1)-1830
• OSTI ID: 7352659
• Report Number(s): BNWL-SA-5626; CONF-751205-8; SR-6/101
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560162* -- Radionuclide Effects
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& Toxicology-- Animals
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560172 -- Radiation Effects-- Nuclide Kinetics & Toxicology-- Animals-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ACTINIDES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
AMERICIUM
ANIMALS
BODY
CURIUM
DEPOSITION
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
DOGS
ELEMENTS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
GLANDS
HEAVY NUCLEI
INHALATION
INTAKE
ISOTOPES
LIVER
LUNGS
LYMPH NODES
LYMPHATIC SYSTEM
MAMMALS
METALS
NUCLEI
ORGANS
PLUTONIUM 238
PLUTONIUM 239
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
RADIOISOTOPES
RATS
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
RETENTION
RODENTS
SKELETON
TRANSPLUTONIUM ELEMENTS
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
VERTEBRATES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES