U-232 retention in bone (was Re: Reply to James Salsman)

[James Salsman <james@bovik.org>]

>... You say also that U-232 "doesn't clear up over

> time like the other isotopes". Really? Because U-232 is uranium,

> it is expected to behave almost identically to all the other

> isotopes of uranium. Where did you get the information that it

> behaves differently?



The Gmelin Handbook of Inorganic Chemistry, 8th Edition, English

translation (Springer-Verlag, 1982), Title U -- Uranium, Supplemental

Volume A7 -- Biology, Section 3 -- Metabolism: Absorption, page 305,

Figure 3-1, "Retention and translocation of inhaled uranyl nitrate,"

from J.E. Ballou, R.A. Gies, and N.A. Wagman, in "BNWL-2500," Part 1,

pp. 379-380 (1978.)



The graph shows the skeletal load of U-232 growing from 19% of the

initial lung burden five days after exposure up to 25% after 200

days.  In contrast, the skeletal U-233 load falls from 20% after

five days down to 5% after 200 days.  Both isotopes clear from the

lung after initial exposure, and kidney concentrations of both

isotopes also drop from their levels five days after exposure.



Different isotopes of an element can influence chemical reactions,

via thermodynamic properties, according to Encyclopedia Britannica:

   http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=48262



Sadly, I did not copy the Gmelin reference abbreviations, so I can

not say what "BNWL" stands for.  However, perhaps you can reach the

authors through the Health Physics Society, as the first two appear

in Health Phys. 1978 May;34(5):445-50, "The influence of DTPA on

the biological availability of transuranics," by J.E. Ballou,

K.R. Price, R.A. Gies, and P.G. Doctor.



Sincerely,

James Salsman





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