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PARTITIONING OF PU-238, PU-239 AND AM-241 IN SKELETON AND LIVER OF U.S. TRANSURANIUM REGISTRY AUTOPSY CASES ( PLUTONIUM-238, PLUTONIUM-239, AMERICIUM-241 )

KATHREN, R L [* PACIFIC NORTHWEST LABORATORIES]; MCINROY, J F [LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY]; REICHERT, M M [UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, SEATTLE]; SWINT, M J

HREX; AMERICIUM; AUTOPSIES; LIVER; PLUTONIUM; PLUTONIUM 238; PLUTONIUM 239; SKELETON

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

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Never classified

0008

NV0701375

1994 Aug 27

2017 Dec 21

THE CONTENT OF 238PU AND 239PU AND 241AM IN THE LIVER AND SKELETON WAS ESTIMATED FROM RADIOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF HUMAN LIVER AND BONE SAMPLES OBTAINED AT AUTOPSY FROM FORMER ACTINIDE WORKERS WHOSE OCCUPATIONAL HISTORIES WERE SUGGESTIVE OF CHRONIC INHALATION EXPOSURES, WITH MINOR SKIN CONTAMINATION AND WOUNDS DOCUMENTED IN A FEW INDIVIDUALS. FOR TIMES ESTIMATED TO BE SEVERAL YEARS TO A FEW DECADES POST INTAKE, 75.8 PLUS OR MINUS 15.3 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL 241AM IN THE SKELETON AND LIVER WAS FOUND IN THE SKELETON (25 CASES) AS COMPARED WITH 63.4 PLUS OR MINUS 24.1 PERCENT FOR 238PU (36 CASES) AND 53.2 PLUS OR MINUS 18.2 PERCENT FOR 239PU (43 CASES). THESE DIFFERENCES ARE SIGNIFICANT AT THE 95 PERCENT CONFIDENCE LEVEL. OF THESE CASES, 34 INCLUDED DATA ON BOTH 238PU AND 239PU AND WERE DIVIDED INTO HIGH AND LOW ACTIVITY SUBGROUPS. THE DIFFERENCE IN THE FRACTIONATION OF THE TWO PU ISOTOPES WAS APPARENT ONLY IN THE LOW ACTIVITY SUBGROUP, SUGGESTING THAT THE DIFFERENCE OBSERVED BETWEEN THE PU ISOTOPES MAY BE AN ARTIFACT OF THE DATA. THE DIFFERENT PARTITIONING OF THESE THREE NUCLIDES SUGGESTS THAT THE ALIS FOR 238PU AND 241-AM MAY BE HIGH BY ABOUT 25-50 PERCENT IF ONLY THE DOSE TO BONE IS CONSIDERED AND MAY BE HIGH BY 12-13 PERCENT, BASED ON THE WEIGHTED COMMITTED DOSE EQUIVALENT IN TARGET ORGANS OR TISSUES.