doses
een in
iy
we must accept a dose of 75 rads
Bair and
observed
s 10 to
posure to
st be
ncidence
plutonium
9 lower
nal data
available
veolarloped lung
independent of the distribution of dose in time,
The only direct measurement of plutonium in
the lungs in this study was made on the operative
(accumulated over
ears of occupational exposure)
as inducing
specimens of subject No. 2. Table. VI shows results
239
23954.
Pu
of analyses for
The concentration of
is.
~alignant tumors and pulmonary scleros
in
man,
Langham?
estimated
106
rads
to
was approximately the same in the tumor and lung
239
the
lung as a completely empirical judgment as to a
tissue, while the concentration of
" at or above which biological consequences
Jevel
was approximately half.
Pu in bone
The highest concentration,
umav ensue in a small population of limited distrib
observed in the lymph node tissue, is consistent
tion.”
with the experimental findings in dogs exposed to
Pud,, by inhalation, as mentioned above.
Park and co-workers at Battelle-Northwest
It is well
report that the plutonium content of the thoracic
established that the concentration in lymph nodes
lymph nodes of beagles was about the same as that
relative to that in lung tissue increases as a
of the entire lung tissue about 5 years following
16
a single inhalation exposure.
At this time, both
a homogeneous distribution of 239 Pu throughout the
function of time following exposure.
If one assumes
lung and lymph nodes and a total lung weight of
al organ,
4) percent of the initial alveolar-deposited
lung tissue and thoracic lymph nodes contained about
239
Pud,-
1000 grams and respiratory lymph node weight of
3 dog lung.
At about lO years following exposure, the lungs con-
20 grams, the total plutonium burden of the lungs
1is amount
tained about 12 percent and the thoracic lymph nodes
and respiratory lymph nedes is approximately 8 nCi
imated
about 40 percent of the initial alveolar-deposited
roughly equally divided between lung and lymph node.
For reference, the total amount of plutonium in the
La@ny
uo,
loodless
icant fraction of the original lung burden of our
lung of case No. 2 (estimated by tissue assay to
ipon
human subjects to be present in the thoracic lymph
be 3.85 nCi) is approximately 550 times contempo-
* mean
nodes many years after exposure to plutonium oxide,
rary total lung burdens in humans in the United
‘el that
However, one must exercise caution, as we do not
States exposed to fallout resulting from plutonium
dispersed by atmospheric weapons tests.
From these data, we might expect a signif-
ing (about
know whether the translocation rates of plutonium
th in
oxide are the same for the beagle and man or whether
of the chest burden of 239 Pu of subject Noa. 2,
ion equiv-
the rates observed for beagles with large lung bur-
based on extrapolation from analysis of lung and
nal lung
dens would be realistic for emailer initial alveolar
lymph node tissue, are in reasonable agreement (a
e,
deposits in man.
factor of about 2) with estimates based on chest-
is
velopment
net
to
For
Although a single measurement of
Estimates
239 by in the chest of subjects exposed 27 to
counting.
28 years ago is of little help in obtaining accurate
plutonium particle in a section of lymph node re-
Figure 10 shows an autoradiograph of a
estimates of the current chest burdens, similar
moved from subject No. 2.
ated to
petiodic measurements on several recently exposed
plutonium particles in the lymph node tissue
re, the
individuals have yielded data on temporal changes
examined indicate a very nonuniform radiation dose-
hen the
of plutonium within the chest.
distribution from plutonium particulates.
Had repeated,
be un-
periodic measurements been made on the present sub-
ature
jects, we would have more confidence in our esti-
,out
mates of
L6)
the chest burden.
2.
Observations of other
Plutonium in Other Tissues.
Because we
have no reliable calibration system for plutonium
conTABLE VI
x burden
PLUTONIUM-239 CONTENT OF TISSUES REMOVED FROM PATIENT NO. 2 IN May 1971°
dents
plasms
Lung
y in-
Lymph node
- control
Hamartoma
Rib
Moskffect
Wet Weight
(grams)
Tissue
evl!
oe
a
Volume of Solution
(ml)
(dpm per ml)
Plut onium-239
d mMpergram)
Ci
per
70.85
loo
6.01
8.48
3.85
1.25
25
22,55
451.00
205.00
0.77
20.00
25
100
0.23
0.71
7.47
3.55
3.40
1.61
gram)
1
After ashing and dissolution of tissue.
yi AN YO
1?