Abstract
Abstract Effects of inhaled 239PuO2 on the free-cell population of the lungs of CBA/H mice have been studied using broncho-alveolar lavage following initial alveolar depositions (IADs) of 209 to 2800 Bq. The numbers of pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAM) were quantified using a radioactive tracer technique. The number of PAM declined soon after exposure; the extent of the depression and the time taken to reach the nadir were both dose-dependent. Numbers eventually returned to normal but, with high IADs, only after 3 months. The number of binucleate PAM and those with micronuclei increased following relatively low IADs in a dose-dependent manner. Micronucleate PAM were the most sensitive indicator of cellular damage as a result of 239PuO2 inhalation, providing a short-term assessment of radiation damage to lung cells at doses known to produce lung tumours. The results also provide further evidence that mitosis in PAM, or in their precursor cells, does occur within the lung.
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