The Toxicity of Tritium: The Effects of Tritiated Amino-acids on Preimplanted Mouse Embryos

Abstract
Tritium is released into the environment as a byproduct of nuclear reactors and reprocessing plants. The effects of tritiated amino acids, Arg, Lys, His and Asp on the growth and development of 2-cell mouse embryos, cultured in vitro, were investigated. The LD50 for the dibasic amino acids, measured on the 3rd day of growth, ranged from 30-130 nCi/ml. This was compared with the DNA precursor, thymidine, for which the LD50 was 80 nCi/ml.