Re: Re(2): Radiation Biology

["Ron L. Kathren" <rkathren@beta.tricity.wsu.edu>]

To:  Robert Jeffrey Gunter

I hope you are not referring to the lecture I gave in the 1994 Health 
Physics Society Summer School, which was published as Chapter 23 in 
"Intrnal Radiation Dosimetry", the text for the course.  Clearly, no such 
statement was made.  The Registries have seen and documented potential 
deterministic effects in a donor who suffered a massive intake of Am-241 
11 years prior to death.  This case, of course, is the famous Hanford Am 
exposure case, identified as USTUR 0246.  Five papers characterizing the 
United States Transuranium and Uranium Registries' evaluation of this 
case have been submitted for publication in Health Physics and have 
undergone the first round of peer review.  We hope that these papers will 
be accepted as revised and appear in print soon that our findings can be 
shared in detail with the scientific community.

The Registries also published in the January 1995 issue of Health Physics 
a paper on risk coefficients for alpha radiation based on postmortem 
radiochemical analysis of tissues from two whole body donations.  
Dosimetry estimates from these cases were used in conjuction with 
previously published epidemiologic studies to determine risk coefficients 
for liver tumors, osteogenic sarcomas, and leukemias.  Comparison with 
BEIR IV showed good agreement for the liver tumors, but lower value than 
BEIR IV for the bone cancer and a much higher risk coefficient than BEIR 
IV for leukemia.

Obviously, the two brief paragraphs do not tell the whole story.  Those 
who wish to learn more of the work and findings of the Registries may 
wish to request a copy of our most recent annual report, which provides a 
25 year history of the Registries as well as the most recent scientific 
findings and postmortem radiochemical data and in vivo dosimetry results 
for five whole body donors.  Copies are available without charge so long 
as supplies last.  Anyone wishing a copy should write to the U.S. 
Transuranium and Uranium Registries (can abbreviate as USTUR), Washington 
State University, 100 Sprout Road, Richland, WA 99352.

As I said above, I sure hope it wasn't my lecture to which you had 
reference, for if so, I apparently left you with a misconception about 
what the Registries program is all about and what we can and cannot do.  
If it was not me, I sure would like to know who it was.

Ron Kathren
Director, USTUR

On Wed, 15 Mar 1995, Robert Jeffrey Gunter wrote:

> Jim et al.
> 
> I recently attended a class in internal dosimetry where a lecture discussing  
> the uranium and transuranium registries and was surprised to see the trememdous 
> "doses" people have received resulting in no apparent health effect.  The 
> nuclide contents were verified post mortem so there can be little doubt of 
> uptake.
> 
> Hmmmmmm
> 
> 
> Rob Gunter
> ornl
> 
>