Quantitative Microscopic Studies of the Distribution and Retention of ²³⁹Pu in the Ilium of the Female CBA Mouse

Summary

Three month old female CBA mice were injected with 50 nCi kg⁻¹ body mass of minimally polymeric ²³⁹Pu-citrate and killed at 24 hours, 10 days, 1 month and 3 months after injection. The distribution of ²³⁹Pu in the ilia of these mice was analysed using neutron-induced autoradiography of bone sections together with computer-based methods of data reduction. Results of these investigations demonstrate that while ²³⁹Pu is initially localized on bone surfaces, by 3 months after injection it is fairly uniformly distributed throughout mineral bone and its included marrow.