Behavior of neutron-activated uranium dioxide dust particles in the gastrointestinal tract of the rat.

The behavior of neutron-irradiated, simulated Chernobyl UO2 particles containing 141Ce, 144Ce, 95Zr, 95Nb, and 103Ru in the gastrointestinal tract was investigated to obtain basic information for dosimetric and risk analyses of nuclear accidents. After the UO2 particles were administered to rats intragastrically, the distribution and retention of specific radionuclides were studied by using whole-body autoradiography and gamma-spectrometric analysis of tissues. None of the radionuclides were detected in liver, kidney, muscle, bone, brain, blood, and urine. Approximately 98% of the total administered radioactivity was excreted in feces within 3 days. A two times greater intestinal retention (about 6%) of 95Nb than for the other radionuclides was observed 1 day after administration. The results indicate that this kind of relatively insoluble particulate material is not absorbed or retained significantly in the epithelial cells of the intestinal wall. Fallout particles containing high-energy beta sources, 106Ru and 144Ce, result in a very high radiation dose (up to several Gy/day) in the vicinity of a hot particle. Niobium-95 with low average beta energy (0.043 MeV (100%)) does not increase the total dose to the GI tract significantly despite its longer retention in the intestine. Evaluation of the biological effects of these particles in the GI tract by using a dosimetric model based on uniform distribution of activity may be misleading.