Biokinetics and Internal Dosimetry of Tritiated Steel Particles

Autor: Rachel Smith, Michele Ellender, Chang Guo, Derek Hammond, Adam Laycock, Martin O. Leonard, Matthew Wright, Michael Davidson, Véronique Malard, Mickaël Payet, Christian Grisolia, Eric Blanchardon
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Toxics, Vol 10, Iss 10, p 602 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2305-6304
DOI: 10.3390/toxics10100602
Popis: Decommissioning fission and fusion facilities can result in the production of airborne particles containing tritium that could inadvertently be inhaled by workers directly involved in the operations, and potentially others, resulting in internal exposures to tritium. Of particular interest in this context, given the potentially large masses of material involved, is tritiated steel. The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) has recommended committed effective dose coefficients for inhalation of some tritiated materials, but not specifically for tritiated steel. The lack of a dose coefficient for tritiated steel is a concern given the potential importance of the material. To address this knowledge gap, a “dissolution” study, in vivo biokinetic study in a rodent model (1 MBq intratracheal instillation, 3-month follow-up) and associated state-of-the-art modelling were undertaken to derive dose coefficients for model tritiated steel particles. A committed effective dose coefficient for the inhalation of 3.3 × 10−12 Sv Bq−1 was evaluated for the particles, reflecting an activity median aerodynamic diameter (AMAD) of 13.3 µm, with the value for a reference AMAD for workers (5 µm) of 5.6 × 10−12 Sv Bq−1 that may be applied to occupational inhalation exposure to tritiated steel particles.
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