Distribution and Excretion of Polonium-210. II. The Early Fate in Cats

Primate polonium metabolic models and their use in estimation of systemic radiation doses from bioassay data. Final report

“…Two different chemical forms of Po, a colloidal hydroxide and a soluble citrate, were administered to cats by gavage in a series of experiments (Morrow et al 1964b). …”

“…Polonium was administered intravenously to cats as the citrate and the neutralized hydroxide resulting in similar organ and tissue distribution 7 to 10 hours after exposure (Morrow et al 1964b). On a per gram basis normalized to liver Po concentration in a cat exposed to the citrate, the spleen relative concentration factor was highest (3.7), followed by blood (2.9), kidney (2.4), lung (1.9), and small intestine (0.8).…”

“…Its capacity to emulate a diffusible state of ZoPo capable of crossing biological membranes was exhibited in cats (Morrow et al 1964b). When colloidal ZOPo solutions were administered via gavage, the acidic environment in the stomach caused ZoPo aggregates to break up and hence become available for absorption to the same extent as soluble ZoPo citrate.…”

The Polonium-210 Public Health Assessment: The Need for Medical Toxicology Expertise in Radiation Terrorism Events

“…Several articles written prior to 2006 discussed the biological fate of polonium in the environment and the resultant health effects (primarily in laboratory animals) when it is internalized [1][2][3][4][5]. In addition, various authors had attempted to identify chelating agents of high efficacy, some with variable degrees of success [6][7][8][9][10][11].…”

“…In Goiânia, Brazil (1987), for example, metal scavengers found an unused piece of radiation therapy equipment in an abandoned cancer treatment center. 2 When later cut open at a junkyard, the orphaned piece of equipment released a small but highly radioactive quantity of cesium-137 ( 137 Cs). Ultimately, few people died as a result, but the environmental and psychological impact of what amounted to something less than two tablespoons of 137 Cs were significant.…”