title: Radium-226 whole-body gamma counting and 222Rn breath analysis: report on a subject exposed to uranium mill tailings.
abstract: One of two boys born in September 1949 who played on U mill tailings between age 8 and 12 was diagnosed as having leukemia at age 15.5. The exposed and control subjects were well matched; they were approximately the same age and both were 1.85 m (6' 1") in height and weighed 75.2 kg (165 pounds). The result obtained by gamma spectrometric method for the exposed subject was 0 +/- 17 Bq (0 +/- 470 pCi), while that for the control subject was 4 +/- 15 Bq (100 +/- 400 pCi). The result obtained by the Rn breath method for the exposed subject was 4.4 +/- 0.7 Bq (120 +/- 20 pCi), while that for the control was 5.4 +/- 1.4 Bq (150 +/- 38 pCi). These results suggest that the 226Ra body burden of the exposed subject is within the range of those observed in subjects exposed only through normal food sources, which have a mean 226Ra content of 1.5 Bq (range: 0.4-4.4 Bq) so that no significant mill-tailing intake is indicated. The best estimate of alpha particle dose to the red marrow from 226Ra and its decay products was 0.05 mGy at age 14 and 0.10 mGy at age 38. This dose, when compared to that observed in the dial painters, suggests that the leukemia was not caused by uptake of Ra from the mill tailings.
authors.affiliation: Biological and Medical Research Division, Argonne National Laboratory, IL 60439.
authors.forename: H F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Lucas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001822:Body Burden; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006801:Humans; D007953:Leukemia, Radiation-Induced / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D011850:Radioactive Waste; D011874:Radiometry / Q000379:methods; D011883:Radium / Q000032:analysis*; D011886:Radon / Q000032:analysis*; D014501:Uranium
chemical_list: D011850:Radioactive Waste; D014501:Uranium; D011886:Radon; D011883:Radium