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Title:
PLUTONIUM STUDIES IN MAN ( SHORT SUMMANRY REGARDING PLUTONIUM INJECTION EXPERIMENT AND LOCATION OF ACCUMULATED RECORDS )
Author(s):
Subject Terms:
HREX; PLUTONIUM; STUDIES
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:
LEGAL DOCUMENT
Publication Date:
Declassification Status:
Never classified
Document Pages:
0002
Accession Number:
NV0703582
OpenNet Entry Date:
1994 Aug 27
OpenNet Modified Date:
2012 May 14
Description/Abstract:
REPORT ON PLUTONIUM STUDIES IN MAN. THE NEED TO ESTABLISH CRITERIA FOR LIMITING THE EXPOSURE OF PLUTONIUM WORKERS TO THIS HAZARDOUS MATERIAL WAS FORESEEN IN THE EARLY 1940'S. THE DECISION TO INVESTIGATE THE METABOLISM OF PLUTONIUM IN MAN WAS MADE BY THE MANHATTAN ENGINEERING DISTRICT (MED). BETWEEN 1945 AND 1947 DOSES OF PLUTONIUM WERE ADMINISTERED TO 18 HOSPITAL PATIENTS. SCIENTIFIC STUDIES WERE CONTINUED BY MED PERSONNEL AND THEN BY AEC CONTRACTORS DURING THE 4 YEAR PERIOD AFTER INJECTION. IN 1972 ACCUMULATED RECORDS OF THE INVESTIGATION WERE TRANSFERRED TO THE CENTER FOR HUMAN RADIOBIOLOGY (CHR) AT ARGONNE NATIONAL LABORATORY (ANL). FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS, ESTIMATES OF BODY BURDENS OF PLUTONIUM HAVE BEEN BASED ON THE EARLY DATA COLLECTED FROM THE INJECTED PATIENTS. THE RECENT INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM THE SURVIVORS PERMITS A MORE ACCURATE CONSTRUCTION OF THE EXCRETION CURVE. MEASUREMENTS OF THE RESIDUAL BODY CONTENT OF PLUTONIUM AND OBSERVATIONS CONCERNING ITS DISTRIBUTION WITHIN BONE WILL BECOME AVAILABLE FROM THE EXHUMATION STUDY.