Re: RSO Inc. / Tritium Bio Accumulation

["Schoenhofer" <schoenho@via.at>]

Schoenhofer
Habichergasse 31/7
A-1160 Wien
AUSTRIA
Tel./Fax: +43-1-4955308
Mobiltel.: +43-664-3380333
e-mail: schoenho@via.at

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> Von: MARK WINSLOW <WINSLOW.MARK@EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV>
> An: Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
> Betreff: RSO Inc. / Tritium Bio Accumulation
> Datum: Mittwoch, 30. April 1997 19:05
> 
> 1. Does anyone out there have the number of
> ROS inc.  I need to buy a "badge board" and I
> remember they had some in their catalog.  I
> accidentally forgot mine at a site.
> 
> 2. I someone in our public relation's group is
> being asked questions about bio accumulation
> of tritium in shellfish near BNL.  I have told him
> this is not possible.  I also told him THO is
> chemically the same as water, and is water. 
> The guy wants more than just my word.  I was
> wondering if anyone out there with more
> experience with this could point me to some
> journal articles or such. 
> 
> Mark Winslow
> US EPA - Region II



Mark,

HTO is of course water. Any accumulation of a radionuclide can only occur
if the radionuclide would be bound  by covalent binding or for instance
kept by chelation, incorporated in the matrix by incorporation into a
crystal lattice etc. Even then, there would be a kind of equilibrium
between bound and free radionuclide. Especially for tritium such conditions
are very unlikely to occur - at least I do not know any possibility to bind
hydrogen (tritium), so that it could not be exchanged by other hydrogen
atoms or ions.

I am not a shellfish (sorry for that provoking statement!), but in the
course of research of transfer of tritium from luminous dials of a watch
into the body I checked my urine for tritium contamination. When I removed
the watch from my wrist the concentration of tritium in urine decreased
very fast and no indication of a bioaccumulation could be noticed ......

Your collegue is kindly invited to contact me, if he still does not believe
you!

Best regards, 

Franz