AW: "Tritium on Ice"

["Franz Schoenhofer" <franz.schoenhofer@CHELLO.AT>]

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----

Von: owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

[mailto:owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu]Im Auftrag von Carsten, Arland

L

Gesendet: Freitag, 04. Oktober 2002 22:56

An: Jerry Cohen

Cc: Ralph E. Wild; radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu;

Know_Nukes@yahoogroups.com

Betreff: Re: "Tritium on Ice"





This is obviously a general comment to all that expressed interest in

tritium.



Those of us in research know that "Every 25 years someone reinvents the

wheel."

Similarly, the interest in tritium toxicity reaches a peak about the same as

it's half-life.  Incidently, for a few years (beginning in 1940) the

accepted

value for the half-life of tritium was approximately 31 years. Paper

published

in Phys Rev 58:574,1940 - P.S. The measurements were taken with a

contaminated

counter.



For an early review of tritium, see "TRITIUM" -  An 807 page proceedings of

a

tritium symposium held in 1971 at Las Vegas.  It is registered by TID Oak

Ridge

conf-710809.  Most of the subjects in this thread are covered there.  It has

a

great introduction by W.F. Libby, "History of Tritium".



For a later review see Tritium in the Environment", Carsten, A.L., ADVANCES

IN

RADIATION BIOLOGY - Vol 8, 1979. (Over 100 refs)



For a still later review see 'TRITIUM" - Special Issue of Health Physics 65:

6,

1993.  There may be a more recent one.  Following the pattern of rebirth of

interest in tritium toxicity, it seems it is about due.



As to the question of why study the toxicity of tritium, what is known etc.

Here

is a little TRITOX history.



In the late 60's I was called by AEC/ERDA (whatever the name was at that

time)

to attend a meeting in the Directors Office at Oak Ridge to discuss plans

for a

major effort to examine the possible health effects (somatic and genetic) of

exposure to tritium.   As result of the discussions I was asked to establish

a

TRITOX program at Brookhaven as a followup to other radiation biology

programs

in progress here.. As part of this program, and a fusion energy

collaborative

program with Japan, a number of  senior Japanese scientists came to BNL to

work

on TRITOX for periods of 1-2 years.  The Japanese became very intersted,.

established several TRITOX programs in Japan and hosted three workshops

under

the title  "Tritium Radiobiology and Health Physics" in 1982, 85 and 89.

Proceedings published as NIRS -M-41 and  52 (Natl. Inst of Rad.

Sciences,chiba)

and IPPI - REV - 3 (Inst. of Plasma Physics, Nagoya). Several US scientists

also

took part in these collaborative efforts at Brookhaven.  Our program at BNL

remained active until the 90's.



For summaries of some of the work done at BNL. which seem to follow the

interests expressed  by this group, see:



General abstract ---Carsten etal RAD. RES.55, 543,1973



Cytogenetics effects related to tritium:  ----- Carsten etal RAD. RES .

68:480-89,l976



Dom. Lethal Mutations.  Carsten and Cummerford RAD. RES 66;609-14,1976



Genetic and Late Somatic Effects, Carsten etal  Cur. Topics In RAd. Res

Quart

12: 212-224,1977



Dist. of tritium in amino acids and proteins in trtium exposed mice,

Cummerfdord, Carten Rad Res 94:151-55,1983



Tritium/sister chromaid exchanges.  Ikushima, Carsten- Int. J. Rad. Biol.

45:251-56,1984



Turnover of tritium in cell nuclei,chromatin,DNA and histone Cummerford,

Carsten

Rad Res92:521-529,1982



TRITOX program at BNL.  Carsten, Ann. NY Acad of Sc. 459:258-269,1985



Tritium distribution in gylcogen, hemoglobin and chromatin from tritium in

drinking water. Rad.Res. 72:333-342,1977



Tritium-long term exposure effects  - Carsten, Immun. and Hematology Res

3:38-44;1984



Tritium effects on oocytes - Mailhes, Carsten,Benz - ad. Res 111:438-44,1987



Tritium radiobiology and RBEs. Straume and Carsten, Health Physics J. 65:6,

657-672-1993



I think the info in these papers, the review articles, conf. proceedings,

etc.

should answer most of the questions about tritium toxicity.



The problem is that computer searchs don't go back far enough to show many

of

the studies where the info exists.



P.S.  At the end of the Oak Ridge meeting (late 60's) which resulted in

funding

several big TRITOX programs,  I told the funding agencies that they were

"talking big bucks to set up special rooms, 'megamouse' experiments, etc."

They

responded that, "we're talking  big results soon". I asked the question of

"why

the sudden interest in tritium toxicity"  Their answer was "Within a year

those

guys at Princeton will have fusion on line and there will be tons of tritium

to

deal with!!!!!"



So much for rushing fusion.



Arland (Red) Carsten, Ph.D.





Jerry Cohen wrote:



> I am curious to know if anyone knows  or can conceive of a plausible

> situation where release of tritium to the environment could result in a

> significant radiological public health problem (excluding problems of

mental

> health, regulatory compliance, or anything related to perceived risk).

------------------------------------------



Him,



Thank you for your posting, which give quite a lot of interesting

information. I have done quite a lot of work on the incorporation of tritium

from watches containing tritiated compounds. This is not a significant

radiological question, but it is just funny, that young people, who are so

much opposed to nuclear power were the target group for anti-nuclear

propaganda.



Best regards,



Franz





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