The effects of chronic diseases on plutonium urinary excretion in former workers of the Mayak Production Association

PLoS One. 2020 Nov 13;15(11):e0242151. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242151. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

The radiochemical analysis of plutonium activity in urine is the main method for indirect estimation of doses of internal exposure from plutonium incorporation in professional workers. It was previously shown that late-in-life acute diseases, particularly those that affect the liver, can promote accelerated rates of release of plutonium from the liver with enhanced excretion rates. This initial study examines the relationships of some chronic diseases on plutonium excretion as well as the terminal relative distribution of plutonium between the liver and skeleton. Fourteen cases from former workers at the Mayak Production Association (Mayak PA) who provided from 4-9 urine plutonium bioassays for plutonium, had an autopsy conducted after death, and had sufficient clinical records to document their health status were used in this study. Enhanced plutonium excretion was associated with more serious chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases and other diseases that involved the liver. These chronic diseases were also associated with relatively less plutonium found in the liver relative to the skeleton determined by analyses conducted after autopsy. These data further document health conditions that affect plutonium biokinetics and organ deposition and retention patterns and suggest that health status should be considered when conducting plutonium bioassays as these may alter subsequent dosimetry and risk models.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Alcohol Drinking
  • Autopsy
  • Biological Assay
  • Bone and Bones / radiation effects
  • Chronic Disease
  • Health Status
  • Humans
  • Kinetics
  • Liver / radiation effects
  • Middle Aged
  • Occupational Diseases / epidemiology*
  • Occupational Diseases / urine
  • Occupational Exposure*
  • Plutonium / adverse effects*
  • Plutonium / urine*
  • Power Plants
  • Radiometry
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Risk
  • Russia

Substances

  • Plutonium

Grants and funding

The Joint Coordinating Committee for Radiation Effects Research, jointly funded by the United States Department of Energy and the Federal Medical Biological Agency of the Russian Federation, provided salary support to the authors under Project Number AU 00000902. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.