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Journal ArticleDOI

USTUR case 0259 whole body donation: a comprehensive test of the current ICRP models for the behavior of inhaled 238PuO2 ceramic particles. U.S. Transuranium and Uranium Registries.

01 Jan 2003-Health Physics (Health Phys)-Vol. 84, Iss: 1, pp 2-33
TL;DR: An analysis of 238 Pu in the whole body donation to the U.S. Transuranium and Uranium Registries (USTUR) is presented and it was determined that the ICRP models provided an adequate estimate of the overall effective dose.
Abstract: An analysis of 238Pu in the whole body donation to the U.S. Transuranium and Uranium Registries (USTUR) is presented. This donor accidentally inhaled an unusual physical form of plutonium, predominantly the 238Pu isotope in the form of a highly insoluble ceramic. Along with six other workers accidentally exposed at the same time, this donor excreted little or no 238Pu in his urine for several months. Subsequently, however, and, with no further intakes, the urinary excretion of 238Pu by all of these workers increased progressively. Such a pattern of increasing urinary excretion of plutonium resulting from a single acute inhalation was unknown at the time. The subject of this study provided a unique opportunity to analyze not only the pattern of urinary excretion for 17 y following this unusual intake but also the complete distribution of 238Pu in his donated body tissues and skeleton at death. Radiochemical analyses of tissues from this whole body donation were used to perform critical tests of the applicability and accuracy of the respiratory tract model and the systemic biokinetic models for plutonium currently recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection. The respiratory tract model was applied to analyze the donor's long-term urinary excretion pattern. The facility provided by this model to represent progressive transformation of insoluble particles in the lungs into a more soluble form, applied in conjunction with the systemic biokinetic model, predicted the total amount of 238Pu measured in the donor's body to within 17% accuracy. The measured division of 238Pu between the donor's lungs and systemic organs was predicted to within 10%. Small adjustments to several rate constants in these models provided precise predictions of the absolute amounts of 238Pu in the lungs, thoracic lymph nodes, liver, red bone marrow, skeleton (including the distribution of 238Pu between trabecular and cortical bone matrices derived from the radiochemical analyses), kidneys, testes, and muscle. The resulting individual-specific parameters were applied to evaluate the equivalent dose rates and cumulative doses received by the donor's organs and the overall effective dose. Whereas these individual modifications to the ICRP models provided a more accurate representation of the distribution of dose between the donor's organs, it was determined that the ICRP models provided an adequate estimate of the overall effective dose.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a double-focusing sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-SFMS) was used for the determination of Pu in urine at the low ag−ml−1 concentration level.

64 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The resulting model of the separate effects of i.v. Ca-EDTA and Ca-DTPA chelation shows that the therapy administered in this case succeeded in reducing substantially the long-term burden of plutonium in all body organs, except for the lungs.
Abstract: This whole body donation case (USTUR Registrant) involved a single acute inhalation of an acidic Pu(NO3)4 solution in the form of an aerosol 'mist'. Chelation treatment with intravenously (i.v.) Ca-EDTA was initiated on the day of the intake, and continued intermittently over 6 months. After 2.5 y with no further treatment, a course of i.v. Ca-DTPA was administered. A total of 400 measurements of 239+240Pu excreted in urine were recorded; starting on the first day (both before and during the initial Ca-EDTA chelation) and continuing for 37 y. This sampling included all intervals of chelation. In addition, 91 measurements of 239+240Pu-in-feces were recorded over this whole period. The Registrant died about 38 y after the intake, at age 79 y, with extensive carcinomatosis secondary to adenocarcinoma of the prostate gland. At autopsy, all major soft tissue organs were harvested for radiochemical analyses of their 238Pu, 239+240Pu and 241Am content. Also, all types of bone (comprising about half the skeleton) were harvested for radiochemical analyses, as well as samples of skin, subcutaneous fat and muscle. This comprehensive data set has been applied to derive 'chelation-enhanced' transfer rates in the ICRP Publication 67 plutonium biokinetic model, representing the behaviour of blood-borne and tissue-incorporated plutonium during intervals of therapy. The resulting model of the separate effects of i.v. Ca-EDTA and Ca-DTPA chelation shows that the therapy administered in this case succeeded in reducing substantially the long-term burden of plutonium in all body organs, except for the lungs. The calculated reductions in organ content at the time of death are approximately 40% for the liver, 60% for other soft tissues (muscle, skin, glands, etc.), 50% for the kidneys and 50% for the skeleton. Essentially, all of the substantial reduction in skeletal burden occurred in trabecular bone. This modelling exercise demonstrated that 3-y-delayed Ca-DTPA therapy was as effective as promptly administered Ca-EDTA.

61 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a double-focusing sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-SFMS) was developed for determining the artificial radionuclides 90 Sr, 239 Pu and 240 Pu at the ultratrace level in groundwater samples from the Semipalatinsk Test Site area in Kazakhstan.

49 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The 2007 Recommendations introduced changes that affect the calculation of effective dose, and implied a revision of the dose coefficients for internal exposure, published previously in the Publication 30 series and Publications 54, 68, and 78.
Abstract: The 2007 Recommendations (ICRP, 2007) introduced changes that affect the calculation of effective dose, and implied a revision of the dose coefficients for internal exposure, published previously in the Publication 30 series (ICRP, 1979a,b, 1980a, 1981, 1988) and Publication 68 (ICRP, 1994b). In addition, new data are now available that support an update of the radionuclide-specific information given in Publications 54 and 78 (ICRP, 1989a, 1997) for the design of monitoring programmes and retrospective assessment of occupational internal doses. Provision of new biokinetic models, dose coefficients, monitoring methods, and bioassay data was performed by Committee 2 and its task groups. A new series, the Occupational Intakes of Radionuclides (OIR) series, will replace the Publication 30 series and Publications 54, 68, and 78. OIR Part 1 (ICRP, 2015) describes the assessment of internal occupational exposure to radionuclides, biokinetic and dosimetric models, methods of individual and workplace monitoring, and general aspects of retrospective dose assessment. OIR Part 2 (ICRP, 2016), OIR Part 3 (ICRP, 2017), this current publication, and the final publication in the OIR series (OIR Part 5) provide data on individual elements and their radioisotopes, including information on chemical forms encountered in the workplace; a list of principal radioisotopes and their physical half-lives and decay modes; the parameter values of the reference biokinetic models; and data on monitoring techniques for the radioisotopes most commonly encountered in workplaces. Reviews of data on inhalation, ingestion, and systemic biokinetics are also provided for most of the elements. Dosimetric data provided in the printed publications of the OIR series include tables of committed effective dose per intake (Sv per Bq intake) for inhalation and ingestion, tables of committed effective dose per content (Sv per Bq measurement) for inhalation, and graphs of retention and excretion data per Bq intake for inhalation. These data are provided for all absorption types and for the most common isotope(s) of each element. The online electronic files that accompany the OIR series of publications contains a comprehensive set of committed effective and equivalent dose coefficients, committed effective dose per content functions, and reference bioassay functions. Data are provided for inhalation, ingestion, and direct input to blood. This fourth publication in the OIR series provides the above data for the following elements: lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), lutetium (Lu), actinium (Ac), protactinium (Pa), neptunium (Np), plutonium (Pu), americium (Am), curium (Cm), berkelium (Bk), californium (Cf), einsteinium (Es), and fermium (Fm).

47 citations

DOI
01 Jan 2006
TL;DR: The aim of the project IDEAS was to develop general guidelines for assessments of intakes and internal doses from individual monitoring data, which are applicable to a wide range of practical situations and are based on a general philosophy of Harmonisation.
Abstract: Doses from intakes of radionuclides cannot be measured but must be assessed from monitoring, such as whole body counting or urinary excretion measurements. Such assessments require application of a biokinetic model and estimation of the exposure time, material properties, etc. Because of the variety of parameters involved, the results of such assessments may vary over a wide range, according to the skill and the experience of the assessor. The need for harmonisation of assessment procedures has been recognised in a research project carried out under the EU 5 th Framework Programme. The aim of the project IDEAS (partly funded by the European Commission under contract No. FIKR-CT2001-00160) was to develop general guidelines for assessments of intakes and internal doses from individual monitoring data. The IDEAS project started in October 2001 and ended in June 2005. To ensure that the guidelines are applicable to a wide range of practical situations, a database was compiled of cases of internal contamination that include monitoring data suitable for assessment. About 50 cases from the database were analized by different assessors, the results were collated, and differences in assumptions identified, with their effects on the assessed doses. From the results, and other investigations, draft guidelines were prepared, to provide a systematic procedure for estimating the required parameter values that are not part of the measurement data. A virtual workshop was held on the Internet, open to internal dosimetry professionals, to discuss the draft guidelines, which were revised accordingly. In collaboration with the IAEA, an intercomparison exercise on internal dose assessment was then conducted, which was also open to all involved in internal dosimetry. Six cases were developed and circulated with a copy of the revised guidelines, which participants were encouraged to follow, to test their applicability and effectiveness. The results were collated and a Workshop held to discuss the results with the participants. The guidelines were refined on the basis of the experience and discussion. The guidelines are based on a general philosophy of: • Harmonisation: by following the Guidelines any two assessors should obtain the same estimate of dose from a given data set. • Accuracy: the "best" estimate of dose should be obtained from the available data. • Proportionality: the effort applied to the evaluation should be proportionate to the dose - the lower the dose, the simpler the process should be. Following these principles, the Guidelines use the following "Levels of task" to structure the approach to an evaluation: Level 0: Annual dose 6 mSv). The guidelines provide: • Background information about the biokinetic models and the corresponding bioassay functions for the interpretation of monitoring data. • Detailed information about the handling and evaluation of monitoring data. • A structured approach to dose assessment consisting of a step-by-step procedure described in well-defined flowcharts with accompanying explanatory text.

43 citations

References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The new respiratory tract model, which applies explicitly to workers and to all members of the general public inhaling gases, vapour or particles, permits the evaluation of dose per unit intake or exposure as well as the interpretation of bioassay data.
Abstract: In 1984 the ICRP appointed a Task Group of its Committee 2, led by Dr W J Bair, to review the respiratory tract model which had been used for dosimetric purposes in ICRP Publication 30 and to propose an updated model. The new model was to reflect the greatly increased knowledge which was available concerning lung physiology; particle clearance and the biological effects of inhaled radioactive particles as well as the increased needs of present day radiation protection. The Task Group set out to provide a respiratory tract model which would meet the following five criteria: 1. permit dose calculations for workers, and for individual members of populations of all ethnic groups; 2. be useful for predictive dose assessments, as well as for setting limits on intake; 3. take account of the influences of smoking, air pollutants and respiratory tract diseases; 4. permit estimates of dose to the respiratory tract from bioassay data; and 5. be equally applicable to radioactive gases and vapours as well as to particles. The 480 pages of the volume under review indicate the success of this massive task. In brief the new model, which applies explicitly to workers and to all members of the general public inhaling gases, vapour or particles, permits the evaluation of dose per unit intake or exposure as well as the interpretation of bioassay data. There is a fundamental difference in approach from the old model, the latter computed only average dose to the whole lung. The new model considers the respiratory tract as five regions, two extrathoracic, the anterior nose or , and the posterior nasal passages, larynx, pharynx and mouth ; the bronchial region (BB); the bronchiolar region (bb), and the alveolar - interstitial region (AI), each of which is assumed to have a different radiosensitivity. These regions differ widely in the radiation doses they may receive, and the model computes specific tissue doses. The model readily permits the insertion of subject specific data, such as age, activity levels, smoking habits and health status. The main features of the model and of the underlying physiology and radiobiology aspects are presented in the first 100 or so pages of the book. The rest being taken up by 8 Annexes, each authored by groups of Task Group members, which contain all the detailed arguments and information on which the report is based, together with large tabulations of valuable physiological and physical data. Specific annexes deal with anatomy and morphology, respiratory physiology, radiation effects on the respiratory tract, deposition of inhaled particles, particle clearance, reference values for regional deposition, specific absorbed fractions of photon energy and absorbed fractions for alpha, beta and electron radiations. This is a detailed and comprehensive model of the human respiratory tract and a very complex one in relation to its predecessor. However, it is versatile and appears to meet all the criteria required of it. For some, its complexity may appear rather daunting and it appears to require major computer programs, such a LUDEP developed by NRPB, to enable it to be used. However, this impression is misleading, if the model is clearly understood it is still possible to make simple dose evaluations without the aid of a computer. This volume provides a wealth of information on the human respiratory tract and its physiology and its appeal should spread far beyond the radiation protection community. This is a valuable working manual as well as a reference book, it is, therefore, a pity that the publishers have not chosen to offer it in a durable hard bound format.

463 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results of the studies conducted by the Berkeley and Chicago groups are correlated with the present ones providing a collection of data from sixteen cases as mentioned in this paper, including the twelve tracer cases mentioned above.
Abstract: This report is the final presentation of the results of twelve plutonium tracer cases studied as a joint project of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory of the University of California and the Atomic Energy Project of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. The results of the studies conducted by the Berkeley and Chicago groups are correlated with the present ones providing a collection of data from sixteen cases. In addition to the twelve tracer cases mentioned above, the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory has had approximately six years experience with exposure problems associated with the processing of large amounts of plutonium. Wherever applicable, the Laboratory's experiences with the exposure of personnel are used to enlarge and supplement the data collected from the plutonium tracer studies presented in this report. 21 refs., 2 figs., 10 tabs.

71 citations


"USTUR case 0259 whole body donation..." refers background in this paper

  • ...(1975) and Rundo (1979) reported measurements of both the concentration of (239)Pu in circulating blood and the daily urinary excretion rate in two persons injected with soluble plutonium about 28 y earlier (Langham et al. 1950; reprinted 1980)....

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  • ...As reviewed by Leggett (1985), Rundo et al. (1975) and Rundo (1979) reported measurements of both the concentration of 239Pu in circulating blood and the daily urinary excretion rate in two persons injected with soluble plutonium about 28 y earlier (Langham et al. 1950; reprinted 1980)....

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Journal Article
TL;DR: The soft tissues and organs containing the largest amounts of 241Am were the combined soft tissue (striated muscle, connective tissue and skin) 8.8%; liver, 6.4% and respiratory tract, 1.5%.
Abstract: Los Alamos National Laboratory has analyzed autopsy tissue for the USTR, as a part of its study of the uptake, distribution and retention of Pu and other transuranic elements in occupationally exposed workers since 1978. In April 1979, Los Alamos received the internal organs and bone samples from the first whole-body donation to the USTR. The donor was known to have an internal deposition of SU Am. All soft tissue, the bones from the right half of the skeleton, and the odd-numbered vertebrae were received at Los Alamos in February 1980. The bones were subdivided along anatomical areas of interest. All soft tissues and bone specimens were analyzed for their SU Am content. A total deposition of 147.4 nCi SU Am was measured. Approximately 18% of the SU Am remaining in the body (disregarding that in the left hand), was found in the soft tissues, and 82% was in the bones and teeth. The soft tissues and organs containing the largest amounts of SU Am were the combined soft tissue (striated muscle, connective tissue and skin) 8.8%; liver, 6.4% and respiratory tract, 1.5%. The remaining organs accounted for 0.9% of the systemic burden.

70 citations


"USTUR case 0259 whole body donation..." refers methods in this paper

  • ...Dissection and radiochemical analysis of tissues The autopsy and dissection methods used for whole body donations were described by McInroy et al. (1985)....

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  • ...The methods used in this study to dissect the skeleton, and the method used to interpolate the weights and 238Pu activity concentrations of non-sampled vertebral arches, bodies and/or whole vertebrae, were as described by McInroy et al. (1985). f f Table B1a....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A general algorithm for solving first-order compartmental models including recycling systems has been developed and its implementation on a microcomputer is described, which is ideally suited to solve kinetic models describing the transport of radionuclides in the environment or the translocation of elements in biological systems.
Abstract: A general algorithm for solving first-order compartmental models including recycling systems has been developed and its implementation on a microcomputer is described. Matrix algebra is used to obtain for any compartmental model an analytical solution, which is expressed as the exponential of a matrix of rate constants. A special technique is used in the algorithm to enable this exponential to be evaluated with a rapidly converging series. Truncation errors incurred in this process are estimated automatically. Thus, in an extreme case, where these errors may be significant, the appropriate action can be taken. Given a particular model, the user enters the model parameters into a rate matrix according to a simple rule. The algorithm then uses this matrix to solve the model, and thus no specialized mathematical knowledge is needed. The algorithm is given in a short BASIC program (60 lines) listed in an appendix. No additional software is required. By running this program on a standard microcomputer, the user can solve models of any complexity: those up to 15 compartments in seconds and those up to 30 compartments within a minute. The algorithm is thus ideally suited to solve kinetic models describing the transport of radionuclides in the environment or the translocation of elements in biological systems such as the metabolic models recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). Given the initial amount of material in each compartment at time t = 0, together with its radioactive decay constant, the algorithm gives both the amount in each compartment at any future time t and the number of disintegrations that will have occurred in each compartment up to time t. The computer program, shown in an appendix, could easily be used to calculate disintegrations over any time interval of interest, or to predict the quantities or fractions of an intake expected to be present in any in vivo or excretion compartments of interest. Thus, the algorithm can be useful in both the design and conduct of bioassay and internal dose assessment procedures.

62 citations


"USTUR case 0259 whole body donation..." refers methods in this paper

  • ...This code incorporates the algorithm for solving re-cycling compartment models published by Birchall and James (1989)....

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Journal ArticleDOI

53 citations


"USTUR case 0259 whole body donation..." refers methods in this paper

  • ...The radiochemical analytical methods used for this case have been previously described (McInroy 1976; McInroy et al. 1979, 1989; Boyd et al. 1981; Suslova et al. 1996)....

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