Metabolism of 210Po in rats: Volatile 210Po in excreta

Polonium-210 (210Po) is one of the most toxic radionuclides and was used as a poison in the Alexander Litvinenko case. In this study of the metabolism of 210Po in rats, volatile 210Po in excreta was measured, filling a knowledge gap of the previous studies. Five rats were intravenously administrated with 2 kBq and another five with 10 kBq of 210Po (citrate form). They were housed in a glass MetabowlR system for 4 d following the administration. Volatile 210Po from the excreta was collected in a trapping system filled with liquid scintillation cocktail and was measured by liquid scintillation counting. Results showed that the daily excretion of volatile 210Po by the rats is in a very small percentage (0.002-0.009%) of the administered amounts. However, if the administered amount is large, the excretion of volatile 210Po can be significant. (authors)