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Title:
MONITORING OF CERTAIN PERSONNEL FOR INTERNAL PLUTONIUM CONTAMINATION
Author(s):
Subject Terms:
HREX; ABSORPTION; ANIMALS; CONTAMINATION; HEALTH EFFECTS; HUMANS; INTERNAL IRRADIATION; MONITORING; PLUTONIUM; RADIOLOGICAL PERSONNEL; URINALYSIS
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:
LEGAL DOCUMENT
Publication Date:
1945 Aug 17
Declassification Status:
Declassified
Document Pages:
0021
Accession Number:
NV0700097
Originating Research Org.:
UNITED STATES ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION
OpenNet Entry Date:
1994 Aug 27
OpenNet Modified Date:
2012 May 14
Description/Abstract:
TWENTY-PAGE REPORT "MONITORING OF CERTAIN PERSONNEL FOR INTERNAL PLUTONIUM CONTAMINATION" WRITTEN BY W. H. LANGHAM, A. MURRAY, III, A. M. PERLEY, AND R. W. MATTISON DATED AUGUST 17, 1945. A DETAILED REPORT OF THE METHOD OF DETERMINING BODY INTERNAL CONTAMINATION WITH PLUTONIUM. THE METHOD CONSISTS OF WET-ASHING A 24-HOUR URINE SAMPLE, EXTRACTING THE PLUTONIUM WITH CUPFERRON, PLATING AND COUNTING THE PLATE IN A PROPORTIONAL ALPHA COUNTER. RESULTS ARE PRESENTED WHICH WERE OBTAINED BY ASSAYING URINE SAMPLES FROM 76 MEMBERS OF THE CHEMISTRY PERSONNEL. THESE RESULTS SHOW THAT, TO DATE, ONLY THE RECOVERY STEP IN PROCESSING PLUTONIUM HAS PRESENTED A SERIOUS HEALTH HAZARD. THE RESULTS ALSO SHOW A QUALITATIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE NUMBER OF HIGH DOSE COUNTS RECORDED FOR AN INDIVIDUAL AND THE DEGREE OF INTERNAL CONTAMINATION INDICATED BY URINE ASSAY. WHEN THE INDIVIDUALS WERE CLASSIFIED INTO ZERO- OR LOW-EXPOSURE, MODERATE- EXPOSURE AND HIGH-EXPOSURE GROUPS, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE URINE COUNTS OF THOSE WITH MODERATE AND HIGH EXPOSURE WAS DEFINITELY SIGNIFICANT. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE VALUES FOR THE MODERATE- AND LOW-EXPOSURE GROUPS WAS OF DOUBTFUL SIGNIFICANCE.