Studies on the metabolic behaviour of industrial actinide-bearing aerosols after deposition in the rat lung: an experimental basis for interpreting chest monitoring data and assessing limits on intake for workers

The metabolism of 239Pu and 241Am in 3 site-specific industrial dusts has been studied after their deposition in the rat lung. A comparative experiment has also been carried out with a mixture of these actinides inhaled as their nitrates. The aim of this study was to provide an experimental basis for assessing limits on intake and to establish whether the 239Pu content in the lungs could be interpolated from measurements of 241Am. The results demonstrate the wide differences in the lung retention kinetics of the actinides and in the absolute and relative amounts translocated to the blood that can occur for industrially produced materials. The annual limits on intake (ALIs) for the different materials vary between those postulated for class W and Y compounds by the International Commission on Radiological Protection. Acute intakes of 239Pu equivalent to the ALI can, depending on the nature of the dust, be estimated from 241Am chest monitoring data at times from a few days up to about 3 years after exposure. (author)