Spatial and temporal distribution of Plutonium in beagle dog liver following inhalation exposure to 238PuO2

The cellular level distribution of plutonium in liver was determined for Beagle dogs exposed by inhalation to 238 PuO2 at levels which resulted in initial lung burdens of 1.6 to 14 μCi of 239Pu. Liver samples were fixed in 10% buffered formalin, embedded in paraffin and sectioned for light microscopy at 3 μm. Autoradiographs were made and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Alpha tracks in hepatocytes and in sinusoids were counted separately. The ratio of alpha track density in intrasinusoidal cells to that in hepatocytes decreased with time after exposure. A number of 238PuO2 particles were found in liver which were of comparable size to those inhaled