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PubMed1976

Chromosome rearrangements from spermatogonial chronic neutron irradiation in mice.

Adult male mice were given a range of neutron doses at 80 +/- 20 mrad/h from a plutonium-beryllium source. Cytogenetic analysis indicated that chronic spermatogonial exposure to a mean total dose of 10, 30, 52, 98 or 150 rad produced translocations, sampled in spermatocytes four months later, amounting to 0.32, 0.99. 1.69, 1.91 and 1.65%, respectively. The dose response for the 0-52 rad range was linear. For higher doses, a better fit to the data was an expression with dose exponent above unity.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Rapid screening for deletion mutations in the hprt gene using the polymerase chain reaction: X-ray and alpha-particle mutant spectra.

Conditions were devised for the isolation of DNA from single-mutant colonies on dishes, to give reproducible results in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Primers for 3 exons of the hamster hprt gene were used in a multiplex reaction to show rapidly whether the mutants carried deletions at these sites. 138 independent mutants were screened in total, some spontaneous and others induced by X-rays or by alpha-particles from plutonium-238. Few deletions were found among the spontaneous set, while 'total' gene deletions formed about half the mutants found after irradiation. At equitoxic doses, little difference in mutant spectrum was found for the X-ray set compared to the alpha-particle set. This rapid technique should be applicable to many instances of comparative mutagenesis.

Alpha Particles↗
PubMed1985

Identification of transferrin as the principal neptunium-binding protein in the blood serum of rats.

The binding of 239Np(V) to blood serum components of rats was examined in vivo and in vitro. After gel filtration of the serum using a Sephacryl S-300 column, 98% of the applied activity appeared with protein fractions representing coeluted albumins and transferrin. A separation of the albumin- and transferrin-proteins by ion-exchange chromatography using DEAE-cellulose showed the 239Np being entirely bound to the iron-carrier protein transferrin. The high elution yields from the ion-exchange columns, greater than 90%, suggest that the binding may be quite strong. The binding capacity of transferrin for neptunium in vivo was found to decline when the iron level in blood serum was increased. Precipitation experiments showed that 84 +/- 2% of the 239Np was precipitated with 10% (w/v) trichloracetic acid, 77 +/- 3% with 90% ethanol but only 6 +/- 1% with saturated ammonium sulphate at pH 7.4. The available data indicate that as for plutonium, thorium, americium and curium, the iron transport protein, transferrin, may be the main carrier protein for neptunium in mammalian blood serum.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Environmental and medical effects of nuclear weapon production in the southern Urals.

As a result of the activities of the 'Mayak' facility producing weapon's grade plutonium, large territories of the Urals Region (Russia) were exposed to radioactive contamination and the population residing in these territories was exposed to elevated radiation levels. Due to three radiation incidents and normal operation of the plant, significant radiation doses were received in a number of cases by the residents of the communities located in the close vicinity of the facility, along with its workers. Cases of chronic radiation sickness were registered within the early period of exposure and in the later years increased morbidity and mortality from leukosis and malignant neoplasms were noted. Problems of irradiation dose reconstruction, and the health status in the offspring of the exposed population are discussed.

Accidents↗
PubMed1994

Occupational diseases from radiation exposure at the first nuclear plant in the USSR.

The characteristics of occupational diseases from radiation exposure at the first nuclear plant (Prod. Assoc. 'Mayak') in the period of its formation is presented here in brief. Chronic radiation disease (ChRD) made up the predominant part of the spectrum of radiation injuries caused by external whole body exposure to gamma-radiation (more than 80%). Acute radiation disease, local radiation injuries (burns, dermatitis), plutonium pneumosclerosis, and one case of a radiation cataract were diagnosed as well.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1994

Lung cancer in radiochemical industry workers.

The frequency of lung cancer was investigated among 2346 workers in the radiochemical plant 'Mayak' who were exposed to radiation, both externally and internally from incorporation of plutonium. The results from the follow-up were analysed in terms of a linear relative risk model, accounting for the protracted exposures. On the basis of the observed data, it is deduced that the life-span incidence of radiation-induced lung cancer is several times larger than the value 0.0085 Sv-1 that is recommended in ICRP Publication 60 for the risk to this organ.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

General approach to dose reconstruction in the population exposed as a result of the release of radioactive wastes into the Techa River.

Massive releases of fission products from the plutonium production facility 'Mayak' resulted in the years 1949-1956 in the contamination of the river Techa and its flood lands. This led to the exposure of the population in many riverside villages due to external gamma-rays and due to the incorporation of radionuclides, primarily Sr-90. The exposure situation is described and the reconstruction of doses due to external and due to internal radioactivity is explained. The internal dosimetry is based on large scale measurements of Sr-90 beta-rays on the surface of teeth that were begun in 1960, and on whole-body measurements of Sr-90 that were begun in 1974. The details of the analyses are presented in Part 2 of the present report. Average doses due to the external and the internal exposure are given for the residents of the different villages along the river Techa. In the total population of about 28,000 persons that were assessed, the medium dose to the red bone marrow was about 0.25 Gy and the mean dose about 0.4 Gy. In about 5% of the individuals the dose to the red bone marrow was estimated to be in excess of 1 Gy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Cancer mortality and radiation risk evaluation for the Techa River population.

The current nominal risk coefficients for radiation induced cancer are predominantly based on the follow-up of the atomic bomb survivors, i.e. a collective of persons exposed to a short duration, high dose rate exposure. It is one of the central issues in radiation protection, whether these data are representative also for protracted, low dose rate exposures. The International Commission for Radiological Protection has postulated a dose and dose rate reduction factor in the derivation of the nominal risk coefficients; but this factor has been debated. Direct observations on populations that were subjected to prolonged low dose exposures are, therefore, of special interest, and a major contribution to the problem may result from the long term observation of the population exposed at the beginning of the 1950s as a result of massive releases of fission products by a plutonium producing facility into the Techa river in the southern Urals. The present article deals with the cancer mortality in this population during the period 1950-1982.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

In vivo and in vitro studies of hafnium-binding to rat serum transferrin.

The binding of hafnium to rat serum transferrin was studied using the time differential perturbed angular correlation (TDPAC) technique. Hafnium is interesting as a toxic metal binding to transferrin because it behaves metabolically similarly to plutonium. The isotope 181Hf offers favorable access to the TDPAC-method. Samples were prepared in vivo by intravenous injection of Hf-NTA, Hf-citrate, and Hf-oxalate solutions, respectively, into Sprague-Dawley rats and in vitro by adding Hf-NTA solution to fresh rat serum. In both cases two specific electric quadrupole interactions were observed, which correspond to two well-defined binding configurations. They may be attributed to the N-terminal and the C-terminal binding site in the transferrin molecule. The 181Hf-distribution between these two binding states depends on pH, salt and hafnium concentrations, temperature, and incubation time. With a fast TDPAC-setup of four BaF2-detectors a time resolution of about 600 ps could be achieved. The specific binding configurations of 181Hf and the comparatively slow relaxation times lead to spectra of considerable accuracy.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Cesium chloride: preventive medicine for radioactive cesium exposure?

Cesium is produced in high yield fission of uranium and plutonium. Radioactive cesium needles are a radiation hazard for radiotherapists. In this age of nuclear reactors, i.e. Chernobyl, radioactive cesium exposure may be a growing problem. Furthermore, there are numerous therapeutic potentials for cesium therapy, i.e. cancer, depression and schizophrenia. We explored the clearance of cesium in man and found that an oral dose of 50 mg maintains elevated blood cesium levels for 80 days. Cesium is accumulated mainly in the red blood cell fraction. Larger doses (6-9 grams) produce no observed harmful effects and maintain elevated blood levels of cesium for more than a year. Our data suggests there is a threshold of maximum cesium saturation in blood; if maintained, any additional cesium exposure, i.e. radioactive cesium, would be excreted at a more rapid rate. It is probable that large cesium doses can protect against radiation toxicity by blocking sites on red blood cells and thereby result in increased excretion and clearance of the radioactive forms of cesium. This hypothesis should be easily testable in laboratory animals.

Binding, Competitive↗
PubMed1980

Early effects of inhaled Ca-DTPA on the rat lung.

Inhalation of calcium trisodium diethylenetriaminepentaacetate (Ca-DTPA) increases the removal of plutonium and other transuranics from the body. Data are required to determine possible biological effects from inhaled DTPA. Female rats were given a single or 12 daily, 2-4 h, inhalation exposures to aerosols of 10, 20 and 40% Ca-DTPA and the lungs were examined at 21 and 42 days following the last exposure. No pulmonary pathology was found from the single inhalation treatment with Ca-DTPA while only a slight, peripheral, histiocytosis was observed in the lungs of multiple-treated rats. There was no significant effect of DTPA treatments on body weight, lung weight, hematology or serum chemistry values.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A website dedicated to ionizing radiation metrology.

In order to disseminate information about decay data and their evaluation, as well as other topics in the field of ionizing radiation, the Bureau National de Métrologie-Laboratoire National Henri Becquerel (BNM-LNHB) has published a website. Most of the web pages are concerned with the international working groups in which the BNM-LNHB takes part. In particular, a library of uranium and plutonium spectra is now available, as well as the results of evaluation of decay data of nuclides of special interest.

Calibration↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Rapid determination of alpha emitters using Actinide resin.

The European Commission has recently published the recommended radiological protection criteria for the clearance of building and building rubble from the dismantling of nuclear installations. Radionuclide specific clearance levels for actinides are very low (between 0.1 and 1 Bq g(-1)). The prevalence of natural radionuclides in rubble materials makes the verification of these levels by direct alpha counting impossible. The capability of Actinide resin (Eichrom Industries, Inc.) for extracting plutonium and americium from rubble samples has been tested in this work. Besides a strong affinity for actinides in the tri, tetra and hexavalent oxidation states, this extraction chromatographic resin presents an easy recovery of absorbed radionuclides. The retention capability was evaluated on rubble samples spiked with certified radionuclide standards (239Pu and 241Am). Samples were leached with nitric acid, passed through a chromatographic column containing the resin and the elution fraction was measured by LSC. Actinide retention varies from 60% to 80%. Based on these results, a rapid method for the verification of clearance levels for actinides in rubble samples is proposed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Characterization of a military training site containing 232Thorium.

Understanding contaminant distribution is critical to selection and implementation of effective and affordable containment and remediation efforts. This article describes the characterization of soil containing thorium at a training site on Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, NM. The site has been used by the Defense Nuclear Weapons School since the early 1960's to train personnel in emergency response to nuclear weapons accidents and for characterization and containment of radioactive contamination. The purpose of work reported herein is to describe the primary location and migration pattern of 232Thorium (232Th) and 232Th progeny (decay products) at the site. Soil containing thorium oxide (ThO2) was applied to the site for approximately 30 years (early 1960-1990) and was used to simulate a plutonium release from a nuclear weapons accident. Data presented indicate that surface 232Th and 232Th progeny at approximately 5 times background levels are approaching test site boundaries. However, the data also indicate that vertical migration has not exceeded 0.9 m because of the insoluble nature of ThO2. The major mechanisms of 232Th mobility appear to be surface migration mediated by precipitation runoff and wind-blown soil.

New Mexico↗
PubMed2004

Distribution and flux of 238Pu, 239,240Pu, 241Am, 137Cs and 210Pb to high arctic lakes in the Thule district (Greenland).

Environmental samples (soil, sediment and lake water) in the Thule area (NW Greenland) have been studied to assess the contamination of radionuclides originating from a nuclear weapons accident (the Thule accident in 1968). Four lakes were chosen at different distances from the point of impact with the Thule air base community situated in between. The sedimentation rates in the lakes varied from 0.4 mm a(-1) (5 mg cm(-2) a(-1)) to 1.6 mm a(-1) (82 mg cm(-2) a(-1)). With these sedimentation rates, it is not possible to resolve the (239,240)Pu global fallout peak from a possible (239,240)Pu "accident" peak in the sediment depth profiles. However, the (239,240)Pu/(137)Cs and the (238)Pu/(239,240)Pu ratios agreed well with global fallout ratios, indicating that plutonium originating from the accident had not reached these lakes. This also indicates that the Thule air base community has probably only been exposed to radionuclides from the accident to a very limited extent. A limited study showed that (210)Pb could not be used as a normalizing nuclide to explain the transport of transuranic elements from the catchment area to the lake, i.e. (210)Pb has a different transport mechanism from that of the transuranic elements studied in this investigation.

Arctic Regions↗
PubMed2005

Accumulation and release of 241Am by a macrophyte of the Yenisei River (Elodea canadensis).

The source of radioactive contamination of the Yenisei River floodplain, including contamination with transuranic elements, is the Mining-and-Chemical Combine of the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy, which has for many years been producing weapons-grade plutonium. Transuranic elements have been detected not only in the soil and sediment of the river but also in the biomass of aquatic plants. This work is an investigation of accumulation and release of 241Am by a submerged macrophyte of the Yenisei River (Elodea canadensis) in laboratory experiments. In 2000-2003, laboratory experiments were carried out with biomass of E. canadensis Mich. and filtered river water. The samples were collected from the Yenisei River upstream of the discharge of the Combine's radioactive effluent. The experiments showed that 241Am is accumulated by Elodea biomass: the activity concentration of 241Am can reach 3280+/-240 Bq/g, with the concentration factor for 241Am 16 600+/-2200l/kg. Results of chemical fractionation have proved that in the course of 241Am accumulation by Elodea biomass, 241Am tightly bound to biomass increases from 11% to 27% of the total 241Am in the biomass. Release of 241Am from the decaying Elodea biomass has been evaluated experimentally. By the end of the experiment (lasting up to 127 days), the Elodea plants had lost up to 65% of their initial 241Am activity and the rate of 241Am release into the water environment reached 23 Bq/day.

Adsorption↗
PubMed2005

Monitoring iodine-129 in air and milk samples collected near the Hanford Site: an investigation of historical iodine monitoring data.

While other research has reported on the concentrations of (129)I in the environment surrounding active nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities, there is a shortage of information regarding how the concentrations change once facilities close. At the Hanford Site, the Plutonium-Uranium Extraction (PUREX) chemical separation plant was operating between 1983 and 1990, during which time (129)I concentrations in air and milk were measured. After the cessation of chemical processing, plant emissions decreased 2.5 orders of magnitude over an 8-year period. An evaluation of (129)I and (127)I concentration data in air and milk spanning the PUREX operation and post-closure period was conducted to compare the changes in environmental levels. Measured concentrations over the monitoring period were below the levels that could result in a potential annual human dose greater than 1 mSv. There was a measurable difference in the measured air concentrations of (129)I at different distances from the source, indicating a distinct Hanford fingerprint. Correlations between stack emissions of (129)I and concentrations in air and milk indicate that atmospheric emissions were the major source of (129)I measured in environmental samples. The measured concentrations during PUREX operations were similar to observations made around a fuel reprocessing plant in Germany. After the PUREX Plant stopped operating, (129)I concentration measurements made upwind of Hanford were similar to the results from Seville, Spain.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗
PubMed2006

Anomalous transient leaching behavior of metals solidified/stabilized by pozzolanic fly ash.

This study presents observations on the transient leaching behavior of chromium, cadmium, and aluminum that were solidified/stabilized by pozzolanic fly ash. These three metals were selected since they were present in a simulated waste stream generated by an evaporator during plutonium purification and also because the minimum solubility of these metals occurs at significantly different pHs. The transient pH behavior of the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) leachate showed a monotonic increase for all cases, but the equilibrium value was affected by process conditions. The transient leachate concentration behavior showed curves with one or two local maxima for some cases and curves with a monotonic increase for other cases. Data from the leaching experiments was compared to the solubility curves for the hydroxides of each metal since it was assumed that the highly alkaline conditions inside the fly ash waste would cause the metals to precipitate as hydroxides after initially dissolving in the acidic leaching solution. It was found that of the three metals, only cadmium followed the solubility curve for pure hydroxide solutions or for fly ash systems currently reported in the literature.

Aluminum↗