Dissolution characteristics of mixed-oxide nuclear fuels are important considerations for prediction of biological behavior of inhaled particles. Four representative industrial mixed-oxide powders were obtained from fuel fabrication enclosures. Studies of the dissolution of Pu, Am and U from aerosol particles of these materials in a serum simulant solution and in 0.1M HCl showed: (1) dissolution occurred at a rapid rate initially and slowed at longer times, (2) greater percentages of U dissolved than Pu or Am: with the dissolution rates of U and Pu generally reflecting the physical nature of the UO2-PuO2 matrix, (3) the temperature history of industrial mixed-oxides could not be reliably related to Pu dissolution except for a 3-5% increase when incorporated into a solid solution by sintering at 1750 degrees C, and (4) dissolution in the serum simulant agreed with the in vivo UO2 dissolution rate and suggested the dominant role of mechanical processes in PuO2 clearance from the lung. The rapid initial dissolution rate was shown to be related, in part, to an altered surface layer. The advantages and uses of in vitro solubility data for estimation of biological behavior of inhaled industrial mixed oxides, such as assessing the use of chelation therapy and interpretation of urinary excretion data, are discussed. It was concluded that in vitro solubility tests were useful, simple and easily applied to individual materials potentially inhaled by humans.
This study was conducted to determine the biological effects of inhaled 238PuO2 over the life spans of 144 beagle dogs. The dogs inhaled one of two sizes of monodisperse aerosols of 238PuO2 to achieve graded levels of initial lung burden (ILB). The aerosols also contained 169Yb to provide a gamma-ray-emitting label for the 238Pu inhaled by each dog. Excreta were collected periodically over each dog's life span to estimate plutonium excretion; at death, the tissues were analyzed radiochemically for plutonium activity. The tissue content and the amount of plutonium excreted were used to estimate the ILB. These data for each dog were used in a dosimetry model to estimate tissue doses. The lung, skeleton and liver received the highest alpha-particle doses, ranging from 0.16-68 Gy for the lung, 0.08-8.7 Gy for the skeleton and 0.18-19 for the liver. At death all dogs were necropsied, and all organs and lesions were sampled and examined by histopathology. Findings of non-neoplastic changes included neutropenia and lymphopenia that developed in a dose-related fashion soon after inhalation exposure. These effects persisted for up to 5 years in some animals, but no other health effects could be related to the blood changes observed. Radiation pneumonitis was observed among the dogs with the highest ILBs. Deaths from radiation pneumonitis occurred from 1.5 to 5.4 years after exposure. Tumors of the lung, skeleton and liver occurred beginning at about 3 years after exposure. Bone tumors found in 93 dogs were the most common cause of death. Lung tumors found in 46 dogs were the second most common cause of death. Liver tumors, which were found in 20 dogs but were the cause of death in only two dogs, occurred later than the tumors in bone and lung. Tumors in these three organs often occurred in the same animal and were competing causes of death. These findings in dogs suggest that similar dose-related biological effects could be expected in humans accidentally exposed to 238PuO2.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.