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PubMed1982

Further studies on the absorption of actinide elements from the gastrointestinal tract of neonatal animals.

Plutonium retention was measured after intragastric administration to neonatal rats, dogs and swine. At 1 week after administration, substantially more of the actinide remained in swine and dogs than in rats. The quantity of 238Pu absorbed by piglets was markedly influenced by such factors as compound solubility, mass of plutonium administered, oxidation state of the actinide, and age of the animal at gavage. Cortisone treatment reduced absorption, but was less effective in piglets than in neonatal rats. Measurements of 238Pu transport from ligated segments of the neonatal swine intestine indicated highest absorption from the duodenum, where the actinide was shown, autoradiographically, to be deposited in the epithelial region; in the ileum, deposition was predominantly in the lacteal region. Absorption of actinides by neonatal swine decreased in the order of 233U greater than 238Pu greater than 237Np greater than 244Cm greater than 241Am. Measurements at 1 yr after gavage showed a much higher retention by swine than by rats.

Actinoid Series Elements↗
PubMed1984

Uptake of 244Cm, 238Pu and other radionuclides by trees inhabiting a contaminated flood plain.

The plant uptake of 244Cm, 137Cs, 238Pu and 90Sr was measured for trees in a flood plain forest whose soils were contaminated by aqueous discharges from a nuclear-fuel chemical separations facility. Uptake of the naturally occurring radionuclide 226Ra was also measured. The relative availability of the nuclides was 238Pu less than 244Cm less than 137Cs less than 226Ra less than or equal to 90Sr. The concentration ratios for 238Pu and 244Cm, 3 X 10(-4) and 3.6 X 10(-3), respectively, were similar to those reported for other plant-soil systems. The ratios for 137Cs and 90Sr, 0.11 and 3.9, were similar to those reported for other southeastern soils. However, the ratio for 226Ra, 2.1, was greater than that normally reported. These ratios, which were determined in the field, were generally similar to those reported for greenhouse studies on the same soil.

Cesium Radioisotopes↗
PubMed1985

Further studies on the influence of chemical form and dose on absorptions of Np, Pu, Am and Cm from the gastrointestinal tracts of adult and neonatal rodents.

Absorption of isotopes of the actinide elements Np, Pu, Am and Cm from various organic media and/or in combination with plant or animal ligands or tissue is compared with their absorption from an inorganic nitrate medium. Gastrointestinal (GI) transport of 238Pu, 239Pu, 241Am and 244Cm at high concentrations from citrate medium by adult rats and/or mice was higher than from nitric acid medium. Neptunium-237 absorption, however, was not increased by citrate; probably because its oxidation state was reduced from 237Np(V) to 237Np(IV) by the medium and by the GI content. Increasing the mass of the 237Np dose resulted in increased absorption. Neither incorporation of 238Pu in rat liver nor retention of 238Pu oxide in rat lungs enhanced absorption when those Pu-containing tissues were administered intragastrically to either adult or neonatal rats. Ranking of GI absorption of the various forms of Pu gavaged in these studies suggests that transport is in the order: Pu citrate greater than Pu phytate greater than biologically incorporated Pu greater than Pu nitrate.

Actinoid Series Elements↗
PubMed1986

Influence of oxidizing or reducing agents on gastrointestinal absorption of U, Pu, Am, Cm and Pm by rats.

Absorption of 233U, 238Pu, 241Am, and 244Cm from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract was measured in rats, fed ad libitum or fasted, that were gavaged with solutions containing ferric iron, ferrous iron, iron powder, quinhydrone or ascorbic acid. Absorption and retention of all of these actinides was increased substantially by fasting and by the addition of mild oxidizing agents, ferric iron and quinhydrone. In contrast, absorption and retention were decreased to below the fasted level by all the reducing agents except ascorbic acid, which caused diarrhea and an increase in absorption. Absorption of the lanthanide element 147Pm from the intestine of fasted rats was also increased by ferric iron. Some of these actinide elements are polyvalent and are, in some cases, known to be absorbed from the GI tract more readily in their higher oxidation states. This suggested an oxidation-reduction mechanism for the effect of fasting and the action of the chemical agents used. However, the improbability that either 241Am(III) 244Cm(III) or 147Pm is converted to a different oxidation state under these conditions makes that mechanism unlikely. Other explanations are suggested.

Actinoid Series Elements↗
PubMed1988

Absorption of 233U, 237Np, 238Pu, 241Am and 244Cm from the gastrointestinal tracts of rats fed an iron-deficient diet.

Absorption of U, Np, Am and Cm was increased by factors of 3.4, 7.1, 2.7 and 1.7, respectively, when nitrate solutions of these actinides were gavaged to adult rats fed an iron-deficient diet. Retention increased proportionately in liver, kidney and carcass. The concentration of the actinides excreted also increased substantially (over that of controls) in the urine of iron-deficient rats gavaged with 233U and 237Np, but not in those with 241Am or 244Cm. Weanling rats on an iron-deficient diet, gavaged with ferric nitrate immediately before administration of 238Pu nitrate, retained between 4% and 12% of the 238Pu retained by litter mates that were not treated intragastrically with iron.

Americium↗
PubMed1988

Plutonium, Am, Cm and Sr in ducks maintained on radioactive leaching ponds in southeastern Idaho.

Concentrations of 90Sr, 238Pu, 239,240Pu, 241Am, 242Cm and 244Cm were determined in tissues of mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) maintained for 43-145 d on radioactive leaching ponds in southeastern Idaho. Highest concentrations of transuranics occurred in the gastrointestinal tract, followed closely by feathers. Approximately 75%, 18%, 6% and 1% of the total transuranic activity in tissues analyzed were associated with the bone, feathers, GI tract and liver, respectively. Concentrations in GI tracts were similar to concentrations in vegetation and insects in the littoral area of the ponds. The calculated total dose rate to the ducks from both 90Sr and the transuranic nuclides was 0.69 mGy d-1 (69 mrad d-1), of which 99% was to the bone. The potential effective dose equivalent to a human consuming the entire muscle and liver mass of one experimental duck with average nuclide concentrations was 0.46 microSv (0.046 mrem). Based upon average concentrations in experimental ducks and on surveys of wild waterfowl using this area, a conservative estimate of transuranic activity exported by wild ducks using the ponds during one year was 11.3 kBq (305 nCi). Similarly, the total amount of 90Sr exported in muscle, bone and lung of wild ducks in one year was 2.5 MBq (68.7 microCi).

Americium↗
PubMed1988

Biokinetics and dosimetry of inhaled Cm aerosols in beagles: effect of aerosol chemical form.

This study was designed to provide tissue distribution data of 244Cm that was inhaled by beagle dogs. Two chemical forms that were presumed to bracket the solubility of pure Cm compounds in vivo were used: 244Cm2O3 (oxide) and 244Cm(NO3)3 (nitrate). Adult dogs of both sexes received a single brief pernasal exposure to either a monodisperse aerosol of 244Cm2O3 (1.4 micron activity median aerodynamic diameter, AMAD, and 1.16 geometric standard deviation, sigma g) or a polydisperse aerosol of 244Cm(NO3)3 (1.1 micron AMAD, 1.74 sigma g). The resulting initial pulmonary burdens (IPB) were 1.5 and 1.7 kBq kg-1 body mass for the oxide and nitrate groups, respectively. The tissue distribution data obtained from the dogs that were serially sacrificed from 4 h to 2 y after exposure showed that both chemical forms were very soluble in vivo. For the oxide group, 78% IPB was cleared from the lung with a T 1/2 of 7.6 d, whereas for the nitrate group, 42% IPB cleared with a T 1/2 of 0.6 d. The lung retention for each group was described by three-component exponential functions. Most of the Cm that cleared the lung was redeposited in the liver (37% IPB) and skeleton (27% IPB), with lesser amounts in the muscle, fat and connective tissue (3.5% IPB) and kidney (approximately 2% IPB). The only significant difference noted in the biokinetics of Cm for the two exposure groups was a more rapid translocation of Cm from the lung to liver and bone during the first 10-20 d after exposure to the nitrate compared to the oxide chemical form. Extrapolation of these data to obtain estimates of committed dose equivalents for man indicate substantial agreement with the limits for occupational exposure specified by ICRP 30 (1979).

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1990

Inhalation carcinogenesis of repeated exposures to high-fired 244CmO2 in rats.

Rats were given single or multiple (10 exposures at about 21-d intervals) inhalation exposures to 244CmO2 starting at 70 d of age. Mean lung and bone doses (+/- standard deviation) were 1.4 +/- 1.3 and 0.74 +/- 1.1 Gy, respectively, in the single exposure group, and 1.8 +/- 2.9 and 0.53 +/- 0.74 Gy, respectively, in the multiple exposure group. After cessation of exposure in the multiple exposure group, mean cumulative lifetime radiation doses to lung and skeleton were not significantly different in the two groups. The percentages of rats with lung and bone tumors were 9.1 and 12%, respectively, in the single exposure group, and 20 and 24%, respectively, in the multiple exposure group. However, the multiple exposure regimen did not significantly alter survival times or tumor incidences in lung or bone from a single inhalation exposure to 244CmO2 when survival patterns were taken into account.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1999

Measurement of surface alpha contamination using electret ion chambers.

Electret ion chambers are inexpensive, light-weight, commercially available, passive charge-integrating devices for accurate measurement of different radiations. Performance of electret ion chambers for surface alpha contamination measurement was evaluated. Ion chambers of two types and electrets of three thicknesses were used for the study. Calibration of the electret ion chambers was performed using reference alpha standards of different energies and radioactivities. Effects of various parameters such as chamber dimensions, electret thickness, alpha particle energy, position of alpha source from the chamber centerline, source localized or uniformly distributed, level of alpha contamination, Mylar window covering the chamber, and ambient radon and gamma radiation on the response of the electret ion chambers were determined. Suitable combinations of chambers and electrets to measure surface alpha contamination were determined.

Alpha Particles↗
PubMed2002

Measurement of alpha particle energy using windowless electret ion chambers.

Electret ion chambers are inexpensive, lightweight, robust, commercially available, passive, charge-integrating devices for accurate measurement of different ionizing radiations. In an earlier work a chamber of dimensions larger than the range of alpha particles having aluminized Mylar windows of different thickness was used for measurement of alpha radiation. Correlation between electret mid-point voltage, alpha particle energy, and response was developed and it was shown that this chamber could be used for estimating the effective energy of an unknown alpha source. In the present study, the electret ion chamber is used in the windowless mode so that the alpha particles dissipate their entire energy inside the volume, and the alpha particle energy is determined from the first principles. This requires that alpha disintegration rate be accurately known or measured by an alternate method. The measured energies were within 1 to 4% of the true values for different sources (230Th, 237Np, 239Pu, 241Am, and 224Cm). This method finds application in quantitative determination of alpha energy absorbed in thin membrane and, hence, the absorbed dose.

Americium↗
PubMed2003

Transuranic isotopes and 90Sr in attic dust in the vicinity of two nuclear establishments in northern Germany.

Attic dust was chosen as the test medium in order to search for traces of man-made bone seeking alpha and beta emitters. The samples were taken from 5 houses in the community of Elbmarsch situated at the river Elbe, adjacent to the Krümmel nuclear power plant and the nuclear research center of Geesthacht. Five houses in other regions of northern Germany were taken as a control. 238Pu, (239,240)Pu, 241Am, and 244Cm were measured by alpha spectrometry after chemical separation. Additionally, 241Pu was measured by liquid scintillation spectrometry, and the fission product 90Sr was measured in a separate investigation. All nuclides except 244Cm showed activities above the detection limit in the Elbmarsch samples and an elevated mean concentration compared to the control. It can be concluded from the activity ratio 241Am/(239,240)Pu that the Elbmarsch contamination cannot be accounted for by the background levels of transuranic nuclides resulting from weapons fallout. The derived release of alpha emitters is assumed to have contributed to the induction of a leukemia cluster in children, which was observed in Elbmarsch between 1990 and 1996.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗
PubMed2006

A 244Cm irradiator for protracted exposure of cultured Mammalian cells with alpha particles.

A 244Cm alpha-particle irradiator was designed and constructed for radiobiological studies where protracted exposure at a low dose rate of cultured mammalian cells is required. It allows irradiation of a cell monolayer attached to the Mylar bottom of a specially designed Petri dish of 56 mm diameter (approximately 25 cm(2) area). The irradiator is based on a 20-mm-diameter stainless steel chamber containing a 148 kBq 244Cm source. The chamber, flushed with helium gas at a pressure kept slightly above the external pressure, is inserted into a cell incubator where temperature and CO2 concentration are controlled. Spectrometric and dosimetric characterization of the irradiator was carried out by means of an ion-implanted-silicon charged-particle detector, CR39 detectors, and Monte Carlo simulations with the TRIM code. Average LET of particles incident on the cells at the center of the Petri dish was evaluated to be 120 keV microm(-1) at 59 mm from the source, and the average dose rate was 5.69 x 10 Gy s(-1), with +12% and -8% variations at the center and the edge, respectively. The irradiator has been successfully tested and used for several experiments involving 16-d exposure of human fibroblasts monolayers.

Alpha Particles↗
PubMed2006

Almost twenty years' search of transuranium isotopes in effluents discharged to air from nuclear power plants with VVER reactors.

Airborne effluents of 5 stacks (stacks 1-5) of three nuclear power plants, with 9 pressurized water reactors VVER of 4,520 MWe total power, were searched for transuranium isotopes in different time periods. The search started in 1985. The subject of this work is a presentation of discharge data for the period of 1998-2003 and a final evaluation. It was found that 238Pu, 239,240Pu, 241Am, 242Cm, and 244Cm can be present in airborne effluents. Transuranium isotope contents in most of the quarterly effluent samples from stacks 2, 4 and 5 were not measurable. Transuranium isotopes were present in the effluents from stack l during all 9 years of the study and from stack 3 since the 3rd quarter of 1996 as a result of a defect in the fuel cladding. A relatively high increase of transuranium isotopes in effluents from stack 3 occurred in the 3rd quarter of 1999, and a smaller increase occurred in the 3rd quarter of 2003. In each instance 242Cm prevailed in the transuranium isotope mixtures. 238Pu/239,240Pu, 241Am/239,240Pu, 242Cm/239,240Pu, and 244Cm/239,240Pu ratios in fuel for different burn-up were calculated, and comparison of these ratios in fuel and effluents was performed.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗
PubMed2006

Relative toxicity of chronic irradiation by 45Ca beta particles and 242Cm alpha particles with respect to the production of lung tumors in CBA/Ca mice.

Approximately 1800 female CBA/Ca mice were exposed by inhalation at three dose levels to beta particles from (45)Ca-labeled fused aluminosilicate particles (FAP), to alpha particles from (242)Cm-labeled FAP, or to carrier control FAP. Another group of mice inhaled no FAP and were designated as untreated cage controls. The FAP in combination with these radionuclides was used to achieve the same spatial and temporal distribution of alpha- and beta-particle dose within the irradiated mice. Some mice were killed to determine the clearance of radiolabeled FAP from their lungs, and the remainder were allocated to a life-span study. All animals were subjected to a detailed necropsy. To facilitate the identification of small tumors, the lungs were rendered transparent in methyl salicylate and examined under back illumination for the presence of lesions. Lung nodules and other microscopic lesions were excised for histological examination. The median survival of mice in all groups was approximately 910 days. The control animals lived longer than those that were irradiated, but it was difficult to determine a dose-response relationship for survival among the exposed mice. Benign adenomas and, less frequently, malignant adenocarcinomas were identified in all animal groups. The prevalence of these tumors was approximately 28.8% in the control mice, which is consistent with the results of other studies using the same strain of mouse. After exposure to radionuclide-labeled FAP, there was a significant dose-related increase in the prevalence of lung tumors in (242)Cm- (peak prevalence 55%) and (45)Ca-exposed (peak prevalence 48.6%) mice. The prevalence of tumors in the mice that received (242)Cm-labeled FAP was approximately twice that in the mice that inhaled (45)Ca-labeled FAP within the range of doses employed (0.55-4.69 Gy). Using the ratio of the slope of the linear component of the dose-response curves, the toxicity of the alpha particles relative to the beta particles was 1.5 (90% CI: 0.7, 9.0) for all adenomas and 9.4 (90% CI: 5.0, 23.0) for the less frequent adenocarcinomas. The relative toxicity for adenocarcinomas was found to decrease with increasing dose.

Adenocarcinoma↗