tritium removal

[Les Slaback <lester.slaback@nist.gov>]

A few years ago I had a chance to assess the biological halflife of our 15 operators (due to a one-time condition at our facility).  The halflives ranged from 6 days to 15 days.  So take the nominal 10 day value with a large dose of the appropriate cautionary medicine.

Second, if the person you are dealing with is one of those 12-15 day people, it will not take much added volume to have a significant impact in their effective halflife.

Third, equilibrium does take an hour or so, so immediate samples will not be representative for estimating body burdens.

Lastly, one must caution against extreme measures in that a drastic fluid intake can upset electrolyte balances with fatal consequences.  I suspect in a real exposure reduction situation recommendations for increased fluid intake would constitute medical advice and hence should come from a physician.  Its a legal world we live in, at least in the U.S.

Disclaimer:  the above are the personal
musings of the author, and do not represent any past, present, or future
position of NIST, the U.S. government, or anyone else who might think
that they are in a position of authority. 
Lester Slaback, Jr. 
[Lester.Slaback@NIST.GOV] 
NBSR Health Physics 
Center for Neutron Research 
NIST
100 Bureau Dr.  STOP 3543 
Gaithersburg, MD  20899-3543 
301 975-5810