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DISTRIBUTION OF PLUTONIUM AND AMERICIUM IN HUMAN LUNGS AND LYMPH NODES AND RELATIONSHIP TO SMOKING STATUS

BISTLINE, R E; FILIPY, R E; KATHREN, R L; MCINROY, J F; SANDERST, C L; STROM, D J

HREX; AMERICIUM; CIGERETTE SMOKING; HUMAN ORGANS; HUMANS; LUNGS; LYMPH GLANDS; PLUTONIUM; RADIATION DOSE DISTRIBUTION; SMOKING

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

0009

NV0701395

1994 Aug 27

2017 Dec 21

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