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07 November 2009

Answer to Question #4952 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Alpha Emitters — Plutonium

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

How much time can pass such that chelation will no longer help me rid myself of a plutonium body burden? The maximum found at my work station was 6,000 dpm. My shoes had 2,800 dpm. What can be determined by bioassay, i.e., fecal and urine?

Chelation chemically removes the plutonium from the circulating blood and is most effective when given immediately after an intake of plutonium. Plutonium in the blood is quickly deposited in the skeleton, liver, and other tissues, with a portion being quickly excreted via the urine. Once the deposition has occurred, chelation therapy will remove some plutonium, but only a very tiny fraction of what has been incorporated into the body. Thus, for all practical purposes chelation is ineffective a few days to a week or so after the initial intake. Analysis of feces and urine—bioassay—can reveal a great deal about the intake, including how much material was taken into the body, its chemical composition and solubility, and excretion rate. Information from bioassay can also be used to assess the efficacy of chelation therapy and thus provide guidance to the physician. The contamination found on your shoes and at your work station indicates the possibility of an intake of plutonium; the magnitude of that intake can be assessed through bioassay.

Ronald L. Kathren, CHP

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