Effect of ethanol on the retention of americium‐241 in the baboon liver

Abstract

The oral administration of ethyl alcohol enhanced the excretion of ²⁴¹ Am from the liver of a baboon by 2.5 times that of a control animal. After ethanol administration, increases in the total content of ²⁴¹ Am excreted in feces were accompanied by corresponding increases in fecal volumes, although administration of nonalcoholic cathartics would not be expected to produce a similar effect.

The effectiveness of ethanol as a decorporating agent may result from its ability to mobilize intracellularly bound ²⁴¹ Am from the liver, thereby making the nuclide more available for metabolic secretory mechanisms occurring via liver‐bile‐fecal route.