Distribution of Inhaled Radionuclides in the Respiratory Tract

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Abstract
The distribution of radionuclides deposited by inhalation in the upper-respiratory tract and near the costal surface of the lungs of the dog and monkey was studied by autoradiography. During inhalation exposure, radioactivity in the upper-respiratory tract accumulated just inside the nares, on the turbinates and at the sharp ventral bend in the nasopharynx. Autoradiographs of the gross distribution of inhaled radionuclides near the costal surface of the lungs showed a striated pattern of deposition. This pattern was found in dogs sacrificed immediately post-exposure and in dogs which died of radiation injuries as late as 279 days postexposure. Striations were also observed in similar autoradiographs from a monkey. The striations were present in autoradiographs taken after exposure to a variety of radionuclides in various chemical forms and were not related to the sling mode of exposure restraint. The pattern of distribution is apparently related to the rib structures with the largest concentrations of material deposited under the ribs. Possible mechanisms for this accumulation are discussed. Gross biological response of the lung near the surface was correlated with the nonuniform pattern of deposition.

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