Graham S G, Kirkham S J
Health Phys. 1983;44 Suppl 1:343-52. doi: 10.1097/00004032-198306001-00031.
A routine measurement with two 200 mm-diameter phoswich detectors, placed one each side of the sternum, yielded an apparent lung content of 17 nCi 241Am for a subject. subject. Inspection of the data revealed that there were many more counts from the left side than from the right and that there was a greater number of Np L X rays observed, relative to the L gamma ray, than would be expected for a uniform lung distribution of 241Am. These observations suggested a shallow localised deposit in the left side of the chest. The subject's working history could not rule out an inhalation exposure, but he was known to have had a wound contaminated with Pu/Am in his left hand 16 yr previously. The wound had contained approx. 0.02-0.03 mu Ci 241Am initially, most of which was excised from the wound site after 50 days. Prompted by this knowledge we used a 50mm-diameter intrinsic Ge detector to examine the wound and relevant lymph node sites. The results demonstrated a localised deposit of 241Am in the axillary lymph nodes with approx. 1 nCi 241Am at the wound site. Subsequent measurements made with the phoswich detectors suggested that there was approx. 7 nCi 241Am in the lymph nodes with approx. 1 nCi 241Am in the liver, thereby accounting for most of the detectable 241Am contamination in the thorax.
使用两个直径200毫米的磷光体探测器进行常规测量，将探测器分别置于胸骨两侧，结果显示一名受试者肺部的241镅表观含量为17纳居里。对数据的检查发现，左侧的计数比右侧多得多，而且相对于Lγ射线，观察到的Np L X射线数量比241镅在肺部均匀分布时预期的要多。这些观察结果表明胸部左侧有一处浅部局部沉积。受试者的工作经历不能排除吸入暴露的可能性，但已知他16年前左手有一处被钚/镅污染的伤口。该伤口最初含有约0.02 - 0.03微居里的241镅，其中大部分在50天后从伤口部位切除。基于这一情况，我们使用一个直径50毫米的本征锗探测器检查了伤口及相关淋巴结部位。结果显示腋窝淋巴结中有局部沉积的241镅，伤口部位约有1纳居里的241镅。随后用磷光体探测器进行的测量表明，淋巴结中约有7纳居里的241镅，肝脏中约有1纳居里的241镅，从而解释了胸部大部分可检测到的241镅污染情况。
