Concentration of Pu in urine — measured vs predicted.
Table 7.
Estimated annual
Location
intake, pCi
Inhaled
Ingested
New York
0.2
Bikini
1.6
0.2
513°
Predicted annual Pu in urine;
computed from estimated annual intake
Total pCi
% from ingestion
% from inhalation
0.0002
Annual quantity of
Pu excreted in
urine,
pei
97
0.0014
0,365
14
“Model and parameters are those summarized in Refs.
3.65
3 and 17.
computed from assumed excretion rate of 1 liter/day and concentrations reported by Ref.
€
;
ae
as
.
.
2,
Sum of estimated Bikini intakes for drinking water, terrestrial foods and marine foods from Table 6.
Bikini residents.
This computation
The reported concentration of
shows that plutonium levels in the
plutonium in urine from the New York
urine should presently be at least
population is 10° pCi/liter.*
seven times higher at Bikini than at
assume a urine excretion of 1 liter/
New York.
day per person, the total plutonium
This ratio is very similar
If we
to that reported to us for plutonium
excreted via urine per year would then
in recent urine samples:
be 0.365 pCi.
a Bikini/
New York ratio of about ten.
(See Table 7.) Bennett
estimates the total annual intake of
plutonium via food, water, and in-
These analyses indicate that the
differences observed in the plutonium
halation to be approximately 1.8 pCi
concentrations in urine of New York
for a person in New York. >
and Bikini populations can be
values then suggest that 20% of the
accounted for by the estimated dif~
intake is appearing in the urine.
ferences of plutonium intake via food,
This is a much higher percentage than
water,
has ever been reported?
and air,
based on
the assumed
dietary and inhalation intakes.
These
and is higher
than percentages normally used for
How-
model predictions.>?-?
ever, the absolute quantities of
excreted plutonium predicted by
Only 8% of the amount of plutonium
models i°?+? based on the same dietary
entering the blood reaches the
intake values (given in Table 6), do
urine, 1? while 90% of the plutonium
not agree with the urine concentra-
entering the blood is equally parti-
tions recently reported to us.
tioned between the liver and the
Table 7 compares quantities computed
bones. 27264?
from the reported urine concentra-
(the total plutonium excreted in
tions with the quantities predicted
urine per year, based on the con-
from the pathways and models for
centrations reported for New York)
New York and Bikin1i.
is 8% of the plutonium in the blood,
-1)]3-
Wg 0233
Thus, if 0.365 pCi