A Method for the Analysis of 210Pb in the Urine of Uranium Miners

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Abstract
A method has been developed which permits the rapid determination of 210Pb in urine samples. Lead-210 content is determined by beta counting its daughter, 210Bi which is spontaneously deposited directly out of 500 ml of urine onto a stainless steel planchet. A plating time of three hours is necessary to achieve a recovery of 80 ± 5% of the 210Bi present. The Minimum Significant Measurable Activity at the 95% confidence level is 0.6 pCi/l. for a counting time of 200 min. Creatinine content is determined for all samples as an estimate of the total collection time. Comparison of the estimated cumulative exposure with the 210Pb content in the urines of 34 uranium miners has indicated a significant positive correlation for those individuals who have not been engaged in mining operations for the past 3–10 yr. Further data is necessary to establish a definite relationship between 210Pb output and working level months.

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