Transfer of radionuclides to animals--an historical perspective of work done in the United States.

This report presents a historical perspective of work done in the U.S. on the metabolism of radionuclides by animals. Also covered are the important concepts of interspecies metabolic correlations and means of accelerating turnover of internally deposited radionuclides. Although a large amount of data exist for a large number of radionuclides and animal species there are many parameters of interest and additional data is needed. Also, much of the data are in internal reports that are not easily accessible. In-depth reviews of work done in the U.S. are not available. If I were asked for recommendations following this workshop, I would propose the formation of a committee to comprehensively review the available data on the metabolism of radionuclides by animals and, if necessary, to plan work that could be conducted by multinational teams of scientists. The results of the planned experiments would remove the remaining uncertainties associated with the uptake, retention and loss of radionuclides by animals that are of economic importance, primarily as food sources, to man. The data would also provide the necessary input to other international efforts related to the calculation of radiation dose per unit intake for members of the general public. These kinds of joint international studies are common in the physical sciences. More are needed in the biological sciences. In addition, this is truly a global problem requiring international collaboration and cooperation. The sharing of the burden would help ensure the collection of the necessary data in a timely and cost effective manner.