Lucas H F
Biological and Medical Research Division, Argonne National Laboratory, IL 60439.
Health Phys. 1991 Feb;60(2):163-7. doi: 10.1097/00004032-199102000-00003.
One of two boys born in September 1949 who played on U mill tailings between age 8 and 12 was diagnosed as having leukemia at age 15.5. The exposed and control subjects were well matched; they were approximately the same age and both were 1.85 m (6' 1") in height and weighed 75.2 kg (165 pounds). The result obtained by gamma spectrometric method for the exposed subject was 0 +/- 17 Bq (0 +/- 470 pCi), while that for the control subject was 4 +/- 15 Bq (100 +/- 400 pCi). The result obtained by the Rn breath method for the exposed subject was 4.4 +/- 0.7 Bq (120 +/- 20 pCi), while that for the control was 5.4 +/- 1.4 Bq (150 +/- 38 pCi). These results suggest that the 226Ra body burden of the exposed subject is within the range of those observed in subjects exposed only through normal food sources, which have a mean 226Ra content of 1.5 Bq (range: 0.4-4.4 Bq) so that no significant mill-tailing intake is indicated. The best estimate of alpha particle dose to the red marrow from 226Ra and its decay products was 0.05 mGy at age 14 and 0.10 mGy at age 38. This dose, when compared to that observed in the dial painters, suggests that the leukemia was not caused by uptake of Ra from the mill tailings.
1949年9月出生的两个男孩中的一个，8至12岁期间在铀矿尾矿上玩耍，15.5岁时被诊断患有白血病。暴露组和对照组匹配良好；他们年龄相近，身高均为1.85米（6英尺1英寸），体重均为75.2千克（165磅）。用伽马能谱法测得暴露组受试者的结果为0±17贝克勒尔（0±470皮居里），而对照组受试者的结果为4±15贝克勒尔（100±400皮居里）。用氡气呼吸法测得暴露组受试者的结果为4.4±0.7贝克勒尔（120±20皮居里），而对照组的结果为5.4±1.4贝克勒尔（150±38皮居里）。这些结果表明，暴露组受试者的镭-226体内负荷处于仅通过正常食物来源暴露的受试者所观察到的范围内，正常食物来源的镭-226平均含量为1.5贝克勒尔（范围：0.4 - 4.4贝克勒尔），因此未显示出有明显的尾矿摄入情况。14岁时，镭-226及其衰变产物对红骨髓的α粒子剂量最佳估计值为0.05毫戈瑞，38岁时为0.10毫戈瑞。与表盘涂漆工中观察到的剂量相比，该剂量表明白血病并非由从尾矿中摄取镭所致。
