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Ingestion of AmO2
In case you every wondered if a person swallowed an Am-241 oxide particle
source:
Intake and Subsequent Fate of a Ceramic Particle Containing 2.85 µCi 241Am:
A Case Study. Health Physics, 44(4):329-334; 1983
Smith L. R, Sullivan P. A., Laferriere J., Cumming E., Demis D.
Abstract: Intake of 241Am was reported in a young female technologist.
External monitoring, whole body counting, urinalysis and fecal analysis were
performed to determine the subsequent fate of the contaminant. Five days
later. more than 99.5% of the radioactivity was voided in a fecal sample. A
single particle, containing 2.85 µCi of 241AmO2 incorporated in a ceramic
matrix, was isolated from the fecal sample. Brief descriptions of the
radioanalytical results and dosimetry implications are presented. A shadow
shield whole body counter was conveniently used to make an early estimate of
the intake. This initial estimate enabled staff to decide that it was not
necessary to artifically remove the contaminant. It was estimated that the
lower large intestine was the organ which received the highest dose due to
the passage of the ceramic particle. Systemic uptake of 241Am was indicated
by urinalysis. The fractional transfer of 241Am from the GI tract to the
blood was estimated to be less than 6 x 10-5. This maximum estimate is
limited by the MDA of the analytical procedures used. The fractional
transfer of the 241Am from the GI tract to blood in this case is about an
order of magnitude less than recent ICRP recommendations for "all compounds
of americium".
-- John
John Jacobus, MS
Certified Health Physicist
3050 Traymore Lane
Bowie, MD 20715-2024
E-mail: jenday1@email.msn.com (H)
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