The uptake and turnover of 90Sr in the human skeleton.

In the United Kingdom, measurements have been made of the concentration of 90Sr in human bone from 1955 to 1970, and in human diet since 1958. A correlation of these two series of observations has enabled estimates to be made of (i) the fraction of the dietary intake of 90Sr that reaches the skeleton, (ii) the rate of turnover of 90Sr in the skeleton, and (iii) the way in which both these parameters vary with age. The results may be used to predict future levels of 90Sr in human bone from measurements of the radionuclide in diet, and also to calculate the radiation doses received by tissues in bone from intakes of 90Sr and 89Sr.