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(492 K)
Title:
DISTRIBUTION OF PLUTONIUM AND AMERICIUM IN WHOLE BODIES DONATED TO THE UNITED STATES TRANSURANIUM REGISTRY
Subject Terms:
HREX; AMERICIUM; AUTOPSIES; HUMAN ORGANS; PLUTONIUM; RADIATION DOSE DISTRIBUTION
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:
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Declassification Status:
Never classified
Accession Number:
NV0701396
OpenNet Entry Date:
1994 Aug 27
OpenNet Modified Date:
2017 Dec 21
Description/Abstract:
RADIOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF WHOLE BODY DONATIONS FROM SIX FORMER NUCLEAR INDUSTRY WORKERS 20 OR MORE YEARS POST-EXPOSURE REVEALED ABOUT 45 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL BODY DEPOSITION OF 239PU AND 35 PERCENT OF THE 241AM IN THE RESPIRATORY TRACT OF THE FOUR CASES WITH INHALATION EXPOSURE. THESE PROPORTIONS ARE GREATER THAN PREDICTED BY THE CURRENT ICRP LUNG MODEL. EXCLUSIVE OF THE RESPIRATORY TRACT, THE MEAN FRACTIONAL SYSTEMIC DEPOSITION OF 239PU IN THE TISSUES OF FIVE WHOLE BODIES WAS: LIVER 35.4 PERCENT PLUS OR MINUS 12.5 PERCENT; SKELETON 53.7 PERCENT PLUS OR MINUS 12.5 PERCENT; STRIATED MUSCLE 6.5 PERCENT PLUS OR MINUS 1.8 PERCENT AND ALL OTHER ORGANS AND TISSUES 4.4 PERCENT PLUS OR MINUS 1.7 PERCENT. FOR 241AM, THE COMPARABLE VALUES IN FOUR CASES WERE LIVER 6.5 PERCENT PLUS OR MINUS 4.8 PERCENT; SKELETON 73.5 PERCENT PLUS OR MINUS 12.4 PERCENT; MUSCLE 14.3 PERCENT PLUS OR MINUS 7.6 PERCENT; AND ALL OTHER TISSUES AND ORGANS 6.65 PERCENT PLUS OR MINUS 4.2 PERCENT. THE SYSTEMIC DISTRIBUTION OF 239PU WAS GENERALLY CONSISTENT WITH ICRP PUBLICATION 30. A SIGNIFICANT FRACTION OF BOTH NUCLIDES WAS RETAINED IN THE MUSCLE AND OTHER SOFT TISSUES WHICH SERVE AS LONG-TERM STORAGE DEPOTS. INITIAL FRACTIONATION OF 241AM BETWEEN SKELETON AND LIVER IS CONSISTENT WITH THE 50:30 RATIO PROPOSED IN ICRP PUBLICATION 48 ASSUMING AN EFFECTIVE CLEARANCE HALF-TIME FROM THE LIVER OF ABOUT 2 GAMMA. ESTIMATES OF 239PU DEPOSITION MADE ON THE BASIS OF URINALYSIS RESULTS IN VIVO WERE TYPICALLY GREATER THAN THE OBSERVED DEPOSITION MEASURED IN THE TISSUES OF THE WHOLE BODY AFTER DEATH.