2010/02/16 by C. Li, Baki Sadi, Heather Wyatt +4 · 6 citations
Chemistry · Environmental Science · Health Professions · Medicine · #Chemistry #Environmental chemistry #Environmental science #Medical Imaging Techniques and Applications #Polonium #Radioactive contamination and transfer #Radioactivity and Radon Measurements #Radiochemistry
paper · doi:10.1093/rpd/ncq047
published in Radiation Protection Dosimetry 140(2), 158-162 (Oxford University Press)
openalex publication_date 2010/02/16 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
Polonium-210 ((210)Po) is one of the most toxic radionuclides and was used as a poison in the Alexander Litvinenko case. In this study of the metabolism of (210)Po in rats, volatile (210)Po in excreta was measured, filling a knowledge gap of the previous studies. Five rats were intravenously administrated with 2 kBq and another five with 10 kBq of (210)Po (citrate form). They were housed in a glass Metabowl system for 4 d following the administration. Volatile (210)Po from the excreta was collected in a trapping system filled with liquid scintillation cocktail and was measured by liquid scintillation counting. Results showed that the daily excretion of volatile (210)Po by the rats is in a very small percentage (0.002-0.009 %) of the administered amounts. However, if the administered amount is large, the excretion of volatile (210)Po can be significant.