Radiation dose estimates and hazard evaluations for inhaled airborne radionuclides. Annual progress report, July 1982-June 1983

The objective of this project is to conduct confirmatory research on aerosol characteristics and the resulting radiation dose distribution in animals after inhalation and to provide prediction of health consequences in humans from airborne radioactivity that might be released in normal operations or under accident conditions during production of nuclear fuel composed of mixed oxides of uranium and plutonium. Two research reports summarize the progress of current research. The first paper details results from the completed radiation dose distribution studies in which dogs, monkeys and rats were exposed to either UO2 + PuO2 treated at 7500C, (U,Pu)O2 treated at 17500C, or PuO2 treated at 8500C. This paper focuses on analysis of the data from the last animals sacrificed in the study and updates earlier analyses of lung retention, tissue distribution, and excretion. The second paper details preliminary analyses of the lung retention in Fischer-344 rats exposed to either (U,Pu)O2 at one of three levels of projected dose to lung for each aerosol. This paper presents the methods and the application of a rigorous statistical procedure allowing detection of similarities and differences in the lung retention of rats at different dose levels and for different aerosols. This preliminary work is necessary before final analyses of these data can be done when all animals have died. The paper presents complete development of the data to allow calculation of radiation dose to lung and other tissues for animals in these studies and will lead to the analysis of dose-response relationships. 4 references, 9 figures, 9 tables