Abstract
Data on urinary excretion of plutonium following pulmonary deposition were obtained from five cases of depositions from plutonium dioxide and from one case of deposition from a mixture of more soluble compounds of plutonium. The PUQFUA system was used to estimate systemic burdens for these cases. An evaluation of the calculated systemic burdens for various time periods after exposure shows an ex-potential movement of plutonium from the lungs to the systemic circulation. The average half-time for the 5 cases was estimated to be 240 days, while the half-time for the exposure from more soluble compounds was 29 days. Systemic burden estimates were made by an integration method and by a lung model urinary excretion curve method. These values agreed with the PUQFUA calculated systemic burdens and justifies the use of the PUQFUA system in calculating systemic burdens received by transfer from the lungs to the systemic circulation.