Proposed biokinetic model for phosphorus.

This paper reviews data related to the biokinetics of phosphorus in the human body and proposes a biokinetic model for systemic phosphorus for use in updated International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) guidance on occupational intake of radionuclides. Compared with the ICRP's current occupational model for systemic phosphorus (Publication 68, 1994), the proposed model provides a more realistic description of the paths of movement of phosphorus in the body and greater consistency with experimental, medical, and environmental data regarding its time-dependent distribution. For acute uptake of (32)P to blood, the proposed model yields roughly a 50% decrease in dose estimates for bone surface and red marrow and a six-fold increase in estimates for liver and kidney compared with the model of Publication 68. For acute uptake of (33)P to blood, the proposed model yields roughly a 50% increase in dose estimates for bone surface and red marrow and a seven-fold increase in estimates for liver and kidney compared with the model of Publication 68.