Recommendations for testing new chelating agents for removal of incorporated actinides from the body

The body content of certain radionuclides and the consequences of accidental incorporation may be reduced by treatment with chelating agents. Such agents have been widely studied and have proved to be useful in man. Chelation therapy may also be advantageous in certain cases of heavy metal poisoning. There is still a need to develop new, more efficient and less toxic agents and better therapeutic schedules for using the existing agents. So far as possible the testing of potential new compounds should be carried out using standardized methods. (orig.)