RE: Pu Toxicity vs DDT

["Maclellan, Jay A" <jay.a.maclellan@pnl.gov>]

I didn't mean for this to get specific, just to say it wouldn't be an innocuous
dose.  For the calculations I assumed an elemental mass of 0.5-g  Pu-239, but in
an ICRP-30 insoluble form.  If you swallow enough, even an F1 of 0.0001 can get
quite a bit into the body.

	Jay A. MacLellan, CHP
	Manager, Radiation Records
	Radiation and Health Technology
	Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
	Phone:  509-376-7247
	Fax:      509-376-2906
Email:   jay.a.maclellan@pnl.gov <mailto:jay.a.maclellan@pnl.gov> 

	-----Original Message-----
	From:	Robert_A_Jones@[130.97.153.16]
[SMTP:Robert_A_Jones@[130.97.153.16]]
	Sent:	Thursday, January 28, 1999 1:19 PM
	To:	Multiple recipients of list
	Subject:	RE: Pu Toxicity vs DDT

	Considering how Pu would react chemically in a moist environment (such
as the GI tract), I seriously doubt that we would get this far (50 yrs).  I just
finished speaking to our resident expert on such matters - he stated that 3 mg
of soluble Pu (pure metal would dissolve fairly quick in the HCl environment) is
fatal - Liver and Bone dose.  Bone breakage would occur at about 1 yr (Ribs
breaking off Backbone) from radiation damage - 1-2 yrs are fatal symptoms for
cancers.  Pretty toxic.
	You will almost never encounter pure Pu - you will likely come across it
in oxide form.  This oxide form is about as soluble as sand.  Almost all of your
dose will be GI tract dose - of which, should be over with in about a week.
These calculations should figure Pu oxide, not pure Pu.
	Robert A. Jones			Robert_A_Jones@rl.gov
<mailto:Robert_A_Jones@rl.gov> 
	Health Physicist 			phone: (509)376-8528
	PFP Radiological Control 		fax: (509)373-4274
	Hanford, WA				Hanford Pager: 85-6559 
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