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MEASUREMENT OF THORIUM ISOTOPES AND 228 RA IN SOFT TISSUES AND BONES OF A DECEASED THOROTRAST PATIENT

GONZALES, E R [LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY]; MCINROY, J F [LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY]; MIGLIO, J J [LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY]

HREX; AUTOPSIES; BONES; HUMAN ORGANS; RADIUM; RADIUM 228; SKELETON; THORIUM; THOROTRAST STUDIES; TISSUE ANALYSIS

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

1992 Jun 30

Never classified

0019

NV0701407

1994 Aug 27

2017 Dec 21

THE WHOLE BODY OF AN INDIVIDUAL INJECTED WITH THORATRAST 36 Y PRIOR TO HER DEATH WAS ANALYZED FOR 232TH, 224RA, 228TH, AND 230TH. MEASUREMENT OF THESE ISOTOPES IN ALL TISSUES OF THE BODY WILL PROVIDE DATA NECESSARY TO CALCULATE THE RADIATION DOSE TO INDIVIDUAL TISSUES AND TO EVALUATE THE RISK POTENTIAL ASSOCIATED WITH DEPOSITION OF THORIUM AND PROGENY IN HUMANS. THE TISSUES WERE ASHED, DISSOLVED IN ACID, AND THE THORIUM ISOLATED BY ION EXCHANGE AND ELECTRODEPOSITION. THE THORIUM ACTIVITY WAS MEASURED BY ALPHA SPECTROMETRY. THE 228RA WAS DETERMINED BY MEASURING THE 0.991-MEV GAMMA RAYS ASSOCIATED WITH DECAY OF THE 228AC DAUGHTER. IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT ALMOST ALL OF THE 232TH FROM THE ORIGINAL INJECTION WAS RETAINED IN THE BODY, MOSTLY IN THE TISSUES OF THE RETICULOENDOTHELIAL SYSTEM. A TOTAL OF 28 KBQ (0.76 UCI) OF 232TH WAS MEASURED IN THE SOFT TISSUES AND BONES. THE BODY ALSO CONTAINED 13 KBQ 228RA, 12 KBQ 228TH, AND 2.9 KBQ 230TH. A THOROTRASTOMA CONTAINED ABOUT 3.5 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL ACTIVITY. EXCLUDING THE THOROTRASTOMA, APPROXIMATELY 45 PERCENT OF ALL THE ACTIVITY (232TH, 228RA, 228TH, AND 230TH) WAS RETAINED IN THE LIVER, 13 PERCENT IN THE SPLEEN, 2 PERCENT IN MUSCLE, 1 PERCENT IN SKIN, SLIGHTLY LESS THAT 1 PERCENT IN THE RESPIRATORY TRACT, 4 PERCENT IN ALL OTHER SOFT TISSUES, AND 33 PERCENT IN THE SKELETON (BONE AND BONE MARROW). SIXTY TO 80 PERCENT OF THE THORIUM ACTIVITY IN BONES CONTAINING RED MARROW WAS LOCATED IN THE MARROW. BONES CONTAINING YELLOW MARROW HAD LESS THAN 40 PERCENT OF THE THORIUM ACTIVITY IN THE MARROW. HIGHEST CONCENTRATIONS WERE FOUND IN THE HEPATICM AND OTHER ABDOMINAL LYMPH NODES, SPLEEN, HILAR LYMPH NODES, LIVER, TRACHEA, AND BONE. APPROXIMATELY 60 PERCENT OF THE 228RA FORMED FROM THE DECAY OF THE 232TH HAD BEEN EXCRETED FROM THE BODY. THE 228RA AND 228TH WERE IN APPROXIMATE EQUILIBRIUM THROUGHOUT THE BODY.