Intrahepatic distribution of plutonium in beagles

Beagle dogs were exposed by inhalation to a 238PuO2 aerosol or by intravenous injection to 238Pu or 239Pu-citrate and the distribution of Pu in liver was measured (t = 64-1553 days) after exposure. Random distribution of plutonium at early times after exposure was changed to clustering of activity at times beyond 2 years after inhalation exposure. The distribution of Pu in liver at the cellular level from high levels of Pu exposure was not the same as that at lower levels of exposure such as those most likely to be encountered by man. Particles were found in liver sections of animals that died by 1350 days after exposure by inhalation to a mean initial lung burden of 0.97 μCi/kg body wt. This indicated that for high initial lung burdens, particle transfer can occur. At low levels of exposure, distributions of plutonium deposited in liver after translocation from lung and after intravenous injection were similar for at least 4 months after exposure