Comparative measurements of the shortterm lung clearance and translocation of PuO2 and mixed Na2O + PuO2 aerosols in mice.

Mice were exposed to aerosols of either plutonium dioxide alone, or mixed oxides of plutonium and sodium with atomic ratios (Na/Pu) in the range 1.5 to 16. In the case of the mixed oxides, the lung clearance of the plutonium was represented by the sum of two exponentials, of which the short-term component accounted for 27 +/- 8% of the initial lung content with a clearance half-time of 6.0 +/- 2.7 h. These measurements were made over a period …