The Transmission of Radio-Strontium and Plutonium from Mother to Offspring in Laboratory Animals

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Abstract
Fetal rats and mice were treated with radio-strontium and plutonium by injecting their mothers with these materials before conception or during pregnancy. A low incidence of pregnancy and an increased number of stillbirths were observed. The amt. of radio-strontium retained by the mothers immediately after parturition was the same as that retained by virgin adult [female] [female] at comparable time intervals; a portion of the material that would ordinarily have been excreted was lost through the placenta. The percentage of the maternal dose that was found in the young at birth varied with the injn.-delivery interval. The strontium activity/g. of body wt. of the newborn exceeded that of the mother at the time of delivery if parturition occurred within the first 4 days after admn. At the plutonium levels studied, the specific activity of the young at birth never exceeded 8% of the specific activity of the mother. Treatment of the young animals was continued during the period of suckling by the transfer of both plutonium and radio-strontium through the breast milk. Further studies of the milk transmission of these materials were made by the transposition at birth of litters born of control and treated mothers. The animals of the strontium series have shown retardation of growth, malformation of the long bones, anemia, and osteogenic sarcoma. The animals of the plutonium series have developed no pathologic conditions to date. At the present state of these expts. there is no indication that fetal and very young tissues are either more or less sensitive to radio-strontium and plutonium than are adult tissues.

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