The Los Alamos Scientific Laboratoryʼs Experience With Plutonium in Man

Abstract

The present paper presents an historical account of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory's industrial medical experience with exposure of personnel to Pu239. Observations cover the period from the beginning of the Manhattan Project through 1960. In the early days, exposures were of an acute or semiacute nature. Improved industrial hygiene and engineering methods have changed the problem to one of chronic low-level exposure, largely via inhalation. Consideration of the Laboratory's experience during the past 17 years suggests that the present problem areas are: (1) the diagnosis of body burden under chronic exposure conditions and with little or no specific index of exposure other than a persistent low-level urinary excretion rate, and (2) the choice of the critical organ when exposure is largely via chronic low-level inhalation.