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Title:
EVALUATION OF PLUTONIUM EXPOSURES IN MAN ( HEALTH PHYSICS PERGAMON PRESS 1964, VOL 10, PP 373-389 ) ( PLUTONIUM INJECTION EXPERIMENTS )
Author(s):
ROBERTSON, J S [BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY]
Subject Terms:
HREX; ARTICLE; EXPERIMENTAL DATA; EXPOSURES; INHALATION; MAN; PERSONNEL; PLUTONIUM; PLUTONIUM INJECTION EXPERIMENT; PRESS RELEASE; RADIATION HAZARD
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
Publication Date:
1964 Dec 31
Declassification Status:
Never classified
Document Pages:
0017
Accession Number:
NV0703561
OpenNet Entry Date:
1994 Aug 27
OpenNet Modified Date:
2012 May 14
Description/Abstract:
A HEALTH PHYSICS JOURNAL ARTICLE BY J. S. ROBERTSON AND S. H. COHN ON EVALUATION OF PLUTONIUM EXPOSURES IN MAN. THIS ARTICLE IS A REVIEW OF THE PROBLEM OF EVALUATING THE RADIATION HAZARD FROM PLUTONIUM IN OCCUPATIONALLY EXPOSED PERSONNEL. ALTHOUGH THESE PEOPLE ARE EXPOSED TO PLUTONIUM MOST TYPICALLY BY INHALATION, THESE ARE THE ONLY EXPERIMENTAL KINETIC STUDIES CONDUCTED WITH HUMAN BEINGS AS THE SUBJECTS INVOLVED IN THE INTRAVENOUS ADMINISTRATION OF PLUTONIUM. KINETIC DATA FROM ANIMAL STUDIES INDICATE THAT WHEN PLUTONIUM ENTERS THE BODY BY INHALATION IT TENDS TO BE RETAINED IN THE LUNGS FOR PROLONGED PERIODS OF TIME, BEING REMOVED FROM THE LUNGS WITH HALF-TIME OF THE ORDER OF 300 DAYS. THE PLUTONIUM IN THE LUNGS THUS ACTS AS A CONTINUOUS SOURCE OF PLUTONIUM ENTERING THE CIRCULATION. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE PLUTONIUM FROM THE LUNGS INTRODUCES A SIGNIFICANT ERROR IN THOSE ESTIMATIONS OF THE PLUTONIUM BODY BURDEN THAT ARE CALCULATED FROM PLUTONIUM URINARY EXCRETION DATA USING FORMULAS DERIVED FROM THE INJECTION EXPERIMENTS, AND WHICH AT LEAST TACITLY ASSUME THAT, AFTER AN INITIAL PERIOD, THE URINARY PLUTONIUM REFLECTS BONE AND LIVER PLUTONIUM CONCENTRATIONS. THE ANIMAL STUDIES SUGGEST THAT IT MAY BE FEASIBLE TO EVALUATE THE LUNG BURDEN MORE DIRECTLY BY EXTERNAL COUNTING METHODS AND THROUGH THE USE OF PLUTONIUM FECAL EXCRETION DATA. THE ANIMAL PLUTONIUM-239 TOXICITY DATA ARE ALSO REASSESSED IN REGARD TO THE MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE BODY BURDEN OF PLUTONIUM, AND NO CHANGE IN THE CURRENTLY ACCEPTED VALUE OF 0.04UC PU-239 IS CONSIDERED TO BE INDICATED ON THE BASIS OF THE AVAILABLE DATA.