Re: Plutonium Toxicity

["Otto G. Raabe" <ograabe@ucdavis.edu>]

October 2, 1997
Davis, CA

I don't believe that it is appropriate to say that plutonium or thorium is
"chemically toxic" since in biological systems these materials are inert.
The solubility product constant for plutonium hydroxide is about 10^(-52)
which means there are no plutonium ions formed in the body. Plutonium's
ionic radius is too big to enter into cellular biochemical processes
anyway. If it were not radioactive it would have no toxic effects at all!
The same is true for thorium. Radium mimics calcium and may have some
chemically toxic properties, but I don't think there are any known. These
radionuclides are not "chemically toxic" but may be radioactively toxic.

Otto
		*****************************************************
		Prof. Otto G. Raabe, Ph.D., CHP
                [President, Health Physics Society, 1997-1998]
		Institute of Toxicology & Environmental Health (ITEH)
		     (Street address: Old Davis Road)
		University of California, Davis, CA 95616
		Phone: 916-752-7754     FAX: 916-758-6140
		E-Mail: ograabe@ucdavis.edu
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