Document Details
Title:
PATHOLOGIC EFFECTS OF ORALLY ADMINISTERED POLONIUM
Author(s):
Subject Terms:
POLONIUM; PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES; RODENTS; BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS; LETHAL DOSES
Document Location:
Location - DOE/NNSA NUCLEAR TESTING ARCHIVE Address - P.O. Box 98521 City - Las Vegas State - NV Zip - 89193-8521 Phone - (702)794-5106 Fax - (702)862-4240 Email - NTA@NV.DOE.GOV
Document Type:
REPORT
Publication Date:
1956 Nov 16
Declassification Status:
Never classified
Document Pages:
0026
Accession Number:
NV0015877
Document Number(s):
UR477
Originating Research Org.:
Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States)
OpenNet Entry Date:
1994 Aug 26
OpenNet Modified Date:
2003 Sep 18
Description/Abstract:
RATS RECEIVING BY GAVAGE A SINGLE DOSE OF POLONIUM CHLORIDE (566 MICRO CURIE OF POLONIUM PER KILOGRAM BODY WEIGHT) FROM WHICH THEY ABSORBED A BOUT 26 MICROCURIE PER KILOGRAM, A DOSE LETHAL IN 3 MONTHS OR LESS, SH OWED LESIONS MOST OF WHICH WERE QUALITATIVELY SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVE D IN RATS RECEIVING ABOUT 26 MICROCURIE PER KILOGRAM OF POLONIUM INTRA VENOUSLY AND DYING WITHIN SIMILAR TIME PERIODS. BY COMPARISON, THERE W AS CONSIDERABLY LESS EFFECT IN TESTES, BONE MARROW, SPLEEN, AND OTHER LYMPHATIC TISSUES IN THE ORALLY TREATED RATS, WHICH IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE COMPARATIVELY LOWER CONCENTRATIONS OF POLONIUM IN THESE TISSUES F OLLOWING ORAL ADMINISTRATION. HEMORRHAGIC PHENOMENA WERE ALSO MUCH LESS PROMINENT IN ORALLY TREATED RATS. THE PRINCIPAL PATHOLOGIC CHANGE S WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE LETHALITY OF ORALLY TREATED RATS, BUT WHICH WERE NOT FOUND IN A SIMILAR PERIOD OF TIME IN THE INTRAVENOUSLY INJECT ED RATS, WERE THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROGRESSIVE NEPHROSCLEROSIS AND THE P RODUCTION OF CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE OF THE INTESTINAL MUCOSA. THE INTESTI NAL DAMAGE WAS SUCH THAT IT WAS UNDOUBTEDLY CAUSED PARTLY BY UNABSORBE D POLONIUM. UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES THE LETHALITY OF ORALLY ADMINIST ERED POLONIUM CANNOT BE RELATED SOLELY TO ABSORBED POLONIUM.