DIETARY INTAKE OF RADIONUCLIDES: EFFECT
OF CONSUMPTION PATTERNS AND EVALUATION
BY USE OF INTEGRATING SAMPLES
J. C. THOMPSON, JR., and F. W. LENGEMANN
New York State Veterinary College, Cornell University,
Ithaca, New York
ABSTRACT
Most of the methods being utilized to estimate annual radionuclideintake levels must use food-consumption data inthe estimating process,
However, estimates of food consumption have not matchedthe precision
of laboratory radionuclide determinations. Thus much of the accuracy
in estimating radionuclide intake may be lost because of the inadequacy,
unrepresentativeness, or unavailability of accurate food-consumption
data for much of the United States. Existing consumption data give
gross indications of radionuclide intake, but these estimates may vary
by more than 75% simply by the use of one estimate of food consumption instead of another. The errors of intake estimates may be even
greater for specific population groups, but the lack of consumption
data prevents their determination.
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In an attempt to circumvent the difficulties of estimating dietary
radionuclide intake, the use of an indicator product has been advanced.
In some instances this product has been a component of the diet, but
the inherent variations in consumption along with other unknown variables make this procedure unreliable. Experimental evidence has shown
that it may be possible to use urine as an indicator for dietary levels
of Sr. This would be a self-compensating process for the changes in
diet structure and Would not require precise knowledge of food consumption. Studies have shown that the Observed Ratio based on urine/
diet levels, or Sr per gram of calcium in the urine/*’Sr per gram of
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