Answer to Question #5718 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Alpha Emitters — Uranium

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

I am interested in the subject of internal contamination with uranium. I find that in every article I have read, many different half-times are quoted, some of them obviously dated, for the different internal target organs. Is there a set of half-times that have been experimentally determined and that is widely accepted by the scientific community?

The generally accepted biokinetic model for uranium in the body, which
includes half-times as well as uptake fractions for various organs, is
that of the International Commission on Radiological Protection
(ICRP). The ICRP periodically reviews the scientific literature and on
the basis of those reviews may modify the model in the light of newer
knowledge. While the ICRP model is generally accepted by the scientific
community, other models may be applied to special situations.

Ron Kathren, CHP

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