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AW: "Tritium on Ice"
Now I am totally confused. We have been exposed to
tritium (as tritiated water) from atmospheric fallout since the
mid-1950s. Since tritium has a 12-year half-life, most of the somatic
effects would have been seen by 1990 and any genetic effects would have
shown up in those born between 1960 or so and 1990. Has anyone
observed any of these in, for example, a population exposed to surface water
that would contain fallout tritium as compared to a population drinking well
water that would contain much less or none?
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Tritium in precipitation during the late fifties and
earlie sixties had a concentration with really impressive numbers, but in
terms of dose it was to be neglected because of the very weak beta-emission.
Tritium in precipitation showed and still shows a very typical yearly
pattern: A maximum in early summer, a minimum in winter. This is because of
meteorological conditions when air masses mix and HTO is transported from
the upper stratosphere to the earths surface. Tritium has been stored in
glaciers, from where it is gradually released, though much of it has decayed
already. It shows up in ground water and its concentration has been used
successfully in hydrogeology. A population exposed to surface water during
the late fifties and up to about 1975 would have received a much greater
dose from fission products, so a comparison with respect to tritium in
different water sources is not possible.
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It seems to me that the primary pathway for
tritium to enter the human body is via water, and since all cells require
water, tritiated water would not concentrate in any organ. I would be
most concentrated in the digestive tract (when you drink it), and
carcinogenic effect would be reflected in cancers of the digestive tract.
Tritiated water is distributed very fast in the body - after I
attached a tritium watch on my wrist I could measure huge amounts of tritium
in my urine within one hour. So there cannot be a concentration effect in
the digestive tract and no chance to find any effects at concentrations
abundant in the environment.
When I searched literature when doing my above mentioned experiment
to study the transfer of tritium from watches with tritium-dials into the
body I found one hint that a person had died through overexposure to tritium
- but I could not find any literature on such a case. Does there anybody
know about it?
Best regards,
Franz