Pacific Northwest Laboratory annual report for 1990 to the DOE Office of Energy Research

Abstract

This report summarizes progress on OHER human health, biological, and general life sciences research programs conducted at PNL in FY 1990. The research develops the knowledge and scientific principles necessary to identify, understand, and anticipate the long-term health consequences of energy-related radiation and chemicals. Our continuing emphasis is to decrease the uncertainty of health risk estimates from existing and developing energy-related technologies through an increased understanding of how radiation and chemicals cause biological damage. The sequence of this report of PNL research reflects the OHER programmatic structure. The first section, on human health research, concerns epidemiological and statistical studies for assessing health risks. The next section contains reports of biological research in laboratory animals and in vitro cell systems, including research with radionuclides and chemicals. The general life sciences research section reports research conducted for the OHER human genome research program. Biological Research The section on biological research reports results from experimental animal dose-effect relationship studies with inhaled radionuclides. Lifespan studies in bea les with inhaled 239~u(~03), were in the 3 13th postexposure year. The last dogs in the 2 3 9~u 0 2 and 8~u~2 studies died in FY 1990. The primary plutonium-exposure-related causes of death were lung cancer for inhaled 2 3 9~u~2 and lung and bone cancer for inhaled 2 3 8~u 0 2 and 239~u(~03),. The lung tumor risk resulting from a iven cumulative radiation dose to the lungs from 2 3 9~u 0 2 was higher than from a similar dose from '38Pu0. The extrapolated lifetime risk at 1 rad was estimated to be 7 per lo6 for 2 3 g~u 0 2 and 1 per lo6 for 23'~u~2.