Title:
PLUTONIUM CONCENTRATIONS IN DIETARY AND INHALATION PATHWAYS AT BIKINI AND NEW YORK
Subject Terms:
PLUTONIUM; AIR SAMPLERS; RADIOACTIVITY; DOSIMETRY
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
Publication Date:
1976 Sep 27
Declassification Status:
Never classified
Accession Number:
NV0045071
Document Number(s):
UCRL52176
Originating Research Org.:
LAWRENCE LIVERMORE LABORATORY, U. OF CA
OpenNet Entry Date:
1994 Aug 26
OpenNet Modified Date:
2003 Sep 18
Description/Abstract:
THIS REPORT ASSESSES THE PLUTONIUM INTAKE VIA INHALATION AND INGESTION FOR RESIDENTS OF NEW YORK AND RESIDENTS OF BIKINI ATOLL. BASED ON INH ALATION AND INGESTION INTAKE, THE PLUTONIUM TRANSFERRED TO URINE WOULD BE ROUGHLY SEVEN TIMES GREATER AT BIKINI THAN AT NEW YORK. THIS RATIO COMPARES WITH DATA REPORTED TO THE AUTHORS SHOWING URINE SAMPLES FROM BIKINI RESIDENTS HAD ABOUT TEN TIMES THE PLUTONIUM OF URINE SAMPLES F ROM NEW YORK RESIDENTS. THE COMPARISON OF THESE RATIOS INDICATES THAT DIFFERENCES IN THE LEVELS OF INTAKE IN THE NEW YORK AND BIKINI POPULAT IONS CAN ACCOUNT FOR THE RELATIVE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PLUTONIUM CON CENTRATIONS OBSERVED IN URINE SAMPLES FROM THE TWO LOCATIONS. HOWEVER, TRANSFER COEFFICIENTS AND MODELS PRESENTLY ACCEPTED FOR INHAL ED AND INGESTED PLUTONIUM DO NOT ACCOUNT FOR THE ABSOLUTE MAGNITUDE OF THE OBSERVED URINE-SAMPLE CONCENTRATIONS. THIS DISCREPANCY SUGGESTS I NACCURACY IN EITHER THE PLUTONIUM CONCENTRATIONS REPORTED FOR URINE SA MPLES OR THE MODELS AND TRANSFER COEFFICIENTS PRESENTLY ACCEPTED FOR T HE METABOLISM OF PLUTONIUM IN THE BODY. THE AVAILABLE URINE DATA CONSIST OF RESULTS FROM VERY FEW SAMPLES, AND MORE DATA IS NEEDED TO COMPLETELY VERIFY THE ASSESSMENTS OF THIS PAPE R. IT IS FELT THAT BIKINI ATOLL MAY BE THE ONLY GLOBAL SOURCES OF DATA ON HUMANS WHERE INTAKE VIA INGESTION IS THOUGHT TO CONTRIBUTE THE MAJ OR FRACTION OF THE PLUTONIUM BODY BURDEN, AND THEREFORE BIKINI IS POSS IBLY THE BEST SOURCE OF DATA ON TRANSFER OF BIOLOGICALLY INCORPORATED PLUTONIUM ACROSS THE GUT WALL.