- 40 -
Manhattan workers resulted from aspiration of droplets of
liquid solutions of plutonium into the air wherein much larger
particle sizes would result.
At the same time, the activity
of the plutonium in the particle would be considerably less
than that for a particle of Pu09.
For example, it is stated
that 14 of the 25 subjects with measurable body burdens of
plutonium worked in the recovery Operation and that this
occurred when working with solutions containing 1-40
g/liter
of plutonyl nitrate to which Hj709 was being added with
vigorous stirring in an open hood.
This resulted in con-
siderable fizzing and the discharge of droplets into the
air outside the hood.-
WN droplet 1 u in diameter
(0,5 ur)
from the solution with the highest concentration (40 g/liter)
would therefore contain only 6x1074 pCi compared with a
0.07 oCi vnarticle of Pud> 71
Aower by a factor of 100).
72
(a specific activity that is
In other words,
the particles
involved in this study do not qualify’ as hot particles.
They are delivering dosages
lower than 1000
rem/yr to the
ete
’
*
71if/ Recall from Table IV that a 0.07 pCi, the limiting
activity for a hot particle, would give a dose of 1000 rem/yr
to the surrounding tissue in a lung inflated to 1/2 maximum.
72/
Of the particles of an inhaled aerosol that are deposited
in the deep respiratory zone of the lung, virtually all are
less than 5 u in diameter [Geesaman, UCRL-50387, Op. cit., p.
A 5 u droplet from the 40 g/liter solution would correspond
roughly to the limiting activity of a hot particle.
3).