im

o<

the number of radioactive atoms in compartment i relative to the number in
all compartments on the day of return (some persons returned with body
burdens),

U

= twenty-four hour or one liter urine activity concentration at any time post

TT]

.
.
.
-1
subject urine excretion rate, &£d
,

iw

fraction of element transferred from GI tract to blood,

Tt)

rr

rh

Qa

return, Bq gly

fraction of element reaching extracellular fluid that is excreted through
the urine pathway,

k

= instantaneous fraction of atoms removed from the atom ingestion rate per
unit time, al, due to factors other than radioactive decay,

q

= body burden at any time post return,-3Bq,

q

= body burden on the day of return, Bq.
Using adult average data, two consecutive urine or body-burden measure-

ments were used to estimate the unknown value of k, a rate constant describing

removal of radioactivity in diet items.

This yielded n-l estimates of k where

n was the number of measured adult average data points for body burden or urine
activity concentration during the residence interval.

An average value of k was

assigned for the entire residence interval during which activity was measured.
After the average k was obtained, an estimate of the atom ingestion rate on day
of return was calculated based on a value for adult average body burden or urine
activity concentration and the time since day of return.

This generated n

values of the atom ingestion rate on day of return where n was again the number

of adult average data points for body burden or urine activity concentration.

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