Fallout 239/240Pu and 238Pu in human tissues from the Federal Republic of Germany.

Abstract

To determine the present level of plutonium in human tissues of people in the F.R.G., due solely to fallout from weapons testing, 30 sets of tissues and bones from Munich residents were obtained at autopsy. Each set of tissues consisted of the entire lung, the entire liver, 300 g vertebrae, 300 g ribs and the lymph nodes. All subjects were males, born before 1940. Wet ashing, followed by solvent extraction, electrodeposition, and alpha-spectrometry were used to isolate and quantitate the plutonium isotopes present. The median concentrations of 239/240Pu (in fCi/kg wet weight) observed were: livers (530), vertebrae (92), ribs (73), lymph nodes (58) and lungs (28). The ratio of 238Pu/239/240Pu (in %) was livers 3.5, lungs 5.6, ribs 4.0 and vertebrae 3.2. Age trends for the plutonium concentration in livers, lungs, vertebrae and ribs were not observable. Possible correlations between the plutonium concentrations in livers, lungs and bones are discussed. The results are in many respects similar to observations in the U.S.A. and Southern Finland.