Plutonium-238 nitrate was accidentally deposited in a puncture wound of the right index finger of an employee at the Savannah River Plant Radiochemical Separations Facility in November 1968. A comprehensive treatment and evaluation program was initiated immediately and has continued for more than 2 yr. Postaccident treatment included immediate use of a venous tourniquet; flushing and decontaminating the wound site; excising tissue; and administering chelating agents (intravenously, orally and by aerosol inhalation). The plutonium injection and assimilation was assessed by wound monitoring ; whole-body counting; and an extensive biosassay program (blood, urine and feces). The plutonium body burden is estimated to be 31 nCi, but complications were encountered in making this estimate because of the use of chelating agents and the lack of information about the movement of plutonium nitrate from the wound site.
A general description of a 252Cf inhalation incident, personnel decontamination and precautionary medical treatment are presented in this paper. Californium urinary excretion was followed, some fecal analyses were carried out and in uiuo measurements were made w i t h a 4 x 8-in. NaI(T1) detector. Bioassay data are evaluated to indicate gastrointestinal and urinary clearance rates. The effects of DTPA chelation and catharsis are discussed.
A plutonium-contaminated puncture wound sustained in a processing facility necessitated extensive monitoring and bio-assay surveillance to determine the extent ofplutonium deposition and the effectiveness of decontamination measures. A general description of the wound incident, the monitoring techniques used, a tabulation of decontamination and bio-assay data, and suggestions for future consideration are presented in this paper.
SUMMARYTHE METHOD of treating a plutonium-contami-
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