The effect of bronchopulmonary lavage on lung pathology and retention of plutonium following the inhalation of large quantities of plutonium dioxide

The study was designed to determine the therapeutic efficiency of lavage in hamsters with lung deposits of plutonium dioxide sufficiently great to lead to radiation pneumonitis and early death. The hamster inhaled a mixed 239Pu02 and 241Am02 aerosol. Results are shown for body content of 241Am in individual animals at intervals after lung lavage (it has been shown previously that the 241Am whole body counts for this insoluble aerosol are proportional to the lung content of 239Pu). Histological evidence of radiation pneumonitis is shown and discussed. (U.K.)