Four-decade follow-up of a plutonium-contaminated puncture wound treated with Ca-DTPA

Journal Article · Mon Nov 15 00:00:00 EST 2021 · Journal of Radiological Protection

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6498/ac04b8· OSTI ID:1979287

Avtandilashvili, Maia  ^[1]; Tolmachev, Sergei Y. ^[1]

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1. Washington State University, Pullman, WA (United States)

Contaminated wounds are a common route of internal deposition of radionuclides for nuclear and radiation workers. They may result in significant doses to radiosensitive organs and tissues in an exposed individual's body. The United States Transuranium and Uranium Registries' whole-body donor (Case 0303) accidentally punctured his finger on equipment contaminated with plutonium nitrate. The wound was surgically excised and medically treated with intravenous injections of Ca-DTPA. A total of 16 g Ca-DTPA was administered in 18 treatments during the 2 months following the accident. Ninety-three urine samples were collected and analysed over 14 years following the accident. An estimated ²³⁹Pu activity of 73.7 Bq was excreted during Ca-DTPA treatment. Post-mortem radiochemical analysis of autopsy tissues indicated that 40 years post-accident 21.6 ± 0.2 Bq of ²³⁹Pu was retained in the skeleton, 12.2 ± 0.3 Bq in the liver, and 3.7 ± 0.1 Bq in other soft tissues; 1.35 ± 0.02 Bq of ²³⁹Pu was measured in tissue samples from the wound site. To estimate the plutonium intake, late urine measurements, which were unaffected by chelation, and post-mortem radiochemical analysis results were evaluated using the IMBA Professional Plus software. The application of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements wound model with an assumption of intake material as a predominantly strongly retained soluble plutonium compound with a small insoluble fraction adequately described the data (p = 0.46). The effective intake was estimated to be 50.2 Bq of plutonium nitrate and 1.5 Bq of the fragment. Here, the prompt medical intervention with contaminated tissue excision and subsequent Ca-DTPA decorporation therapy reduced ²³⁹Pu activity available for uptake and long-term retention in this individual's systemic organs by a factor of 38.

• Research Organization: Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security (AU)
• Grant/Contract Number: HS0000073
• OSTI ID: 1979287
• Journal Information: Journal of Radiological Protection, Vol. 41, Issue 4; ISSN 0952-4746
• Publisher: IOP Publishing
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
Public
Environmental & Occupational Health
Nuclear Science & Technology
Radiology
Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
239Pu
Humans
Wound
Biokinetics
Ca-DTPA
USTUR