Pu Induced Lung Cancers

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

Responding to Ruth's query, there is a very large body of evidence on Pu
induced lung cancers experimentally produced in animals.  There is also at
least one peer reviewed publication that suggests a threshold of 1 Gy for Pu
induced lung cancer.

Although human exposures have been much lower than those given to
experimental animals, if memory serves there was recent study out of Russian
that showed an association between lung cancer and Pu intake.  Lung burdens
in these individuals were very much greater than in the US worker
population.  Coincidentally, I believe that there was at least indication of
a 1 Gy threshold.  Smokers would be at greater risk than nonsmokers because
of the impaired clearance which causes them to retain a higher proportion of
the inhaled Pu in their lungs and hence their doses are higher.

Using the Pu injection cases is not appropriate.  They were too few in
number, already ill and in most instances died relatively soon after
injection (and hence not long enough for the cancer to develop), and a few
were lost to followup.



Ron Kathren
-----Original Message-----
From: Weiner, Ruth <rfweine@sandia.gov>
To: Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
Date: Tuesday, August 10, 1999 7:30 AM
Subject: RE: Paducah plutonium


>In agonizing over this whole Paducah plutonium question, I came up with a
>question of my own:  is there any epidemiological, or other non-anecdotal,
>evidence of cancer from plutonium inhalation?   It would have to be
>inhalation, because the Pu isotopes are alpha emitters and the oxide is, it
>seems to me, not soluble enough to be taken up in crops and anyway why
would
>a plant use plutonium?  As a recall, in the famous Pu injection cases,
there
>weren't even any cases of cancer with a soluble plutonium compound injected
>directly into the blood stream.  In fact, there was no effect, as I recall,
>that could be traced to plutonium.
>
>Clearly only my own opinion.
>
>Ruth F. Weiner, Ph. D.
>Sandia National Laboratories
>MS 0718, POB 5800
>Albuquerque, NM 87185-0718
>505-844-4791; fax 505-844-0244
>rfweine@sandia.gov


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