Biological effects of transuranic elements in the environment: human effects and risk estimates

The potential for human effects from environmentally dispersed transuranic elements is briefly reviewed. Inhalation of transuranics suspended in air and ingestion of transuranics deposited on or incorporated in foodstuffs are the significant routes of entry. Inhalation is probably the more important of these routes because gastrointestinal absorption of ingested transuranics is so inefficient. Major uncertainties are those concerned with substantially enhanced absorption by the very young and the possibility of increased availability as transuranics become incorporated in biological food chains