Distribution and clearance of 63Ni administered as 63NiCl2 in the rat: intratracheal study.

Microgram amounts of nickel as 63NiCl2 were administered intratracheally to male rats. Regardless of time after instillation, the lungs and kidneys retained the greatest concentration of 63Ni, and 21 days after dose administration they were the only organs where 63Ni was still measurable. Urinary excretion was the main excretion route with 72% of the initial body burden eliminated by the urine at one day. By day 21, almost all 63Ni was excreted in the urine (96.5% of the initial body burden). The lungs retained 29% of their initial (35 min) burden at day 1, decreasing to 0.1% on day 21.