Lung cancer plutonium

Chronic effects of plutonium exposure include lifeshortening and cancer. These effects have been observed in numerous animal studies. The main late pulmonary effects of plutonium inhalation are pulmonary fibrosis and lung cancer. Lung cancers in animals have been reported for intakes equivalent to 37kBq (1 pCi) in man. 

G.L. Voelz (Los Alamos National Laboratory) is investigating the correlation between low-level plutonium and/or external radiation exposure and lung cancer incidence or other diseases among current and former workers at Rocky Flats, Los Alamos, Mound, Savannah River, Oak Ridge, and Hanford. 

Anderson E, Holland L, Prine J, et al. 1974. Lung irradiation with static plutonium microspheres. In Karbe E, Park J, eds. Experimental lung cancer. Carcinogenesis and bioassays. New York Springer-Verlag, 430-442. 

Nolibe D, Masse R, Lafuma J. 1981. The effect of neonatal thymectomy on lung cancers induced in rats by plutonium dioxide. Radiat Res 87 90-99... 

Because there are few data on the results of human exposure to actinides, the health effects of these radioelements are more uncertain than those discussed above for ionizing radiation, radon, and fission products. Americium accumulates in bones and will likely cause bone cancer due to its radioactive decay. Animal studies suggest that plutonium will cause effects in the blood, liver, bone, lung, and immune systems. Other potential mechanisms of chemical toxicity and carcinogenicity of the actinides are similar to those of heavy metals and include (i) disruption of transport pathways for nutrients and ions (ii) displacement of essential metals such as Cu, Zn, and Ni ... 

There is no evidence of life shortening or malignant disease in US workers with accidental intakes. Exposed workers in the former Soviet Union show biological effects, primarily pulmonary fibrosis and an increase in lung, bone, and liver cancers. Workers at the Mayak facility in the Russian Federation, who experienced far greater plutonium intakes than workers in other countries, have been reported to... 

Asbestos exerts a synergistic influence on cigarette smoke (which contains several PAHs) in the development of bronchopulmonary cancers. This has important implications for workers occupationally exposed to asbestos, who also smoke. The interaction between cigarette smoke and asbestos may be explained partly by differences in the kinetics of PAH cell uptake when PAHs are preadsorbed on asbestos (Fournier and Pezerat 1986). Plutonium oxide (PuO2) has also been shown to enhance benzo[a]pyrene-induced lung carcinogenesis following simultaneous inhalation of both compounds (Metivier et al. 1984). 

Metivier H, Wahrendorf J, Masse R. 1984. Multiplicative effect of inhaled plutonium oxide and benzo[a]pyrene on lung carcinogenesis in rats. Br J Cancer 50 215-221. 

Plutonium may remain in the lungs or move to the bones, liver, or other body organs. It generally stays in the body for decades and continues to expose the surrounding tissues to radiation. This may eventually increase your chance of developing cancer, but it would be several years before such cancer effects became apparent. The experimental evidence is inconclusive, and studies of some human populations who have been exposed to low levels of plutonium have not definitely shown an increase in cancer. However, plutonium has been shown to cause both cancers and other damage in laboratory animals, and might affect the ability to resist disease (immune system). We do not know if plutonium causes birth defects or affects the ability to have children. However, radioactivity from... 

Animal studies have demonstrated that exposure to high radiation doses of plutonium isotopes have resulted in decreases in lifespan, diseases of the respiratory tract, and cancer. The target tissues appear to be the lungs and associated lymph nodes, the liver, and bones. However, these observations in animals have not been corroborated by epidemiological investigations in humans exposed to smaller amounts of plutonium. 

Studies in rats and dogs exposed to plutonium for 1 day have indicated that plutonium via inhalation causes cancer. At various times following high doses of plutonium, tumors were found primarily in the lung, but also in the skeleton and liver. Chronic studies of animals exposed to plutonium via inhalation would be useful in order to compare the type of cancers that may occur and the onset of these effects to those reported in single-dose studies. Epidemiological studies have been equivocal. Most epidemiological studies of occupationally exposed individuals have consistently reported fewer cancer deaths in exposed cohorts than in an unexposed cohort or in the normal population. 

The maximum allowed dose of plutonium in humans is set at 1480 Bq [65]. A population of 26 individuals who acquired plutonium body burdens between 260 and 8510 Bq during World War II has been followed for 37 years, and no serious deleterious effects have been observed. No cases of cancer were observed except in three subjects with a history of skin cancer [80]. In subjects who have both lung and other body burdens of plutonium, chromosomal aberrations of lymphocytes were observed, but subjects who had the same total amount of plutonium but fixed only in the lung showed no such abnormalities [65]. Because no serious consequences such as a shortening of the lifespan or malignancies were seen in humans who ingested amounts of plutonium in excess of the permissible levels. 

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