Abstract
CERIUM-144 is a high yield (∼ 5 per cent) product of nuclear fission that can be readily detected in debris from fission reactions. From about the first to the fourth year after fission, cerium-144 contributes most to total radioactivity1. Because each nuclear disintegration of cerium-144 and its daughter praseodymium-144 can result in deposition of the effective equivalent of more than 6 MeV in bone2, cerium-144 ranks among the more hazardous fission products. Although cerium-144 is only poorly absorbed from the gut2,3, it has been detected at low concentrations in foods, including clams and animal bone4. Liebscher et al.5 detected it in both lung tissue and pulmonary lymph nodes from man. Other workers also identified cerium-144 in lung tissue ash6. A similar situation was observed for plutonium-239 by Bair7. To assess properly radiation protection guides, it is essential also to consider the bodily retention of the element in question. Virtually nothing is known about the retention of cerium-144 by mammals other than rodents. The purpose of this work was to study the long-term in vivo retention of cerium-144 following a single dose to adult beagles.
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RICHMOND, C., LONDON, J. Long-term in vivo Retention of Cerium-144 by Beagles. Nature 211, 1179 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1038/2111179a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2111179a0
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