Treatment of accidental intakes of plutonium and americium: guidance notes.

The scientific basis for the treatment of the contamination of the human body by plutonium, americium and other actinides is reviewed. Guidance Notes are presented for the assistance of physicians and others who may be called upon to treat workers or members of the public who may become contaminated internally with inhaled plutonium nitrate, plutonium tributyl phosphate, americium nitrate or americium oxide.

A review of measurements of radionuclides in members of the public in the UK.

This paper summarises a comprehensive review of radio-analytical data from autopsy, whole or partial body monitoring and the assay of teeth, foetuses and urine for non-occupationally exposed members of the public in the UK between 1957 and 2003. Most attention has been given to measurements of artificial radionuclides formed in the nuclear fuel cycle, uranium and thorium. The review concentrates on measurements on people in the UK who live or have lived in the vicinity of nuclear power sites.

Design and implementation of monitoring programmes for internal exposure (project OMINEX).

The costs of monitoring for internal exposure in the workplace are usually significantly greater than the equivalent costs for external exposure. Therefore, there is a need to ensure that resources are employed with maximum effectiveness. The EC-funded OMINEX (optimisation of monitoring for internal exposure) project is developing methods for optimising the design and implementation of internal exposure monitoring programmes.

Biokinetics of radionuclides and treatment of accidental intakes.

This paper describes the objectives and reviews the progress of EULEP Working Party 5, convened under the auspices of the European Union's Fifth Framework Programme, to 'cluster' two EU-supported contracts, Biokinetics and Dosimetry of Internal Contamination (BIODOS (EU Contract FIS5-1999-00214)) and Radionuclide Biokinetics Database (EULEP) (RBDATA-EULEP (Concerted Action Contract FIS5-1999-00218), and two non-EU funded projects, Biokinetics of Radionuclides in Human Volunteers (RNHV (non-EU funded project)) and Treatment of Accidental Intakes of Radionuclides (TAIR (part funded by EULEP)).

Anomalously high excretion of Pu in urine following inhalation of plutonium nitrate?

A study of the biokinetics of inhaled plutonium nitrate in two volunteers has been carried out. Low doses (approximately 80 microSv) were achievable because tracers of high isotopic purity were used: 237Pu (measurable by X ray spectrometry) and 244Pu (measurable by accelerator mass spectrometry). Lung retention, amount in blood, uptake to the liver and skeleton, and urinary and faecal excretion were measured.