Plutonium and Other Actinide Elements in Gonadal Tissue of Man and Animals

Abstract

This report summarizes available information on the gonadal content of mammalian species given various actinide elements by various routes of administration. Emphasis is placed on plutonium. Also discussed is the contemporary level of plutonium from nuclear weapons fallout in human subjects. The fraction of the administered burden of plutonium found in the gonads (FABG) of five mammalian species following intravenous injection was about 3 × 10−4 with only about a factor of 10 between the highest and lowest values to allow for differences between sexes, among species or as a function of time following injection. FABG values tend to be smaller in the female, as compared with the male, and following inhalation or subcutaneous implant. Data on the FABG for other actinides are qualitatively similar to those for plutonium. The gonadal plutonium concentrations from fallout in U.S. residents are about 0.5 pCi/kg, not unlike those reported for other soft tissues, except thoracic lymph nodes, and bone.