Particle clearance in the alveolar-interstitial region of the human lungs: model validation.

New information on particle retention of inhaled insoluble material indicates that the ICRP Human Respiratory Tract Model (HRTM) significantly underestimates long-term retention in the lungs. In a previous paper, the information from three studies was reviewed, and a model developed to predict particle retention in the lungs of coal miners was adapted in order to obtain parameter values for general use to predict particle retention in the alveolar-interstitial (AI) region. The model is physiologically based and simpler than the HRTM, requiring two instead of three compartments to model the AI region. The main difference from the HRTM AI model is that a significant fraction, about 35 %, of the AI deposit of insoluble material remains sequestered in the interstitium. The new model is here applied to the analysis of two well-known contamination cases with several years of follow-up data.

[1]  V. Vallyathan,et al.  A biomathematical model of particle clearance and retention in the lungs of coal miners. , 2001, Regulatory toxicology and pharmacology : RTP.

[2]  M. J. Sula,et al.  Long-Term Follow-up of HAN-1, an Acute Plutonium Oxide Inhalation Case , 1991 .

[3]  J. Valentin.  Guide for the Practical Application of the ICRP Human Respiratory Tract Model , 2002 .

[4]  K. Philipson,et al.  Long-term lung clearance of 195Au-labeled teflon particles in humans. , 1996, Experimental lung research.

[5]  M. Svartengren,et al.  Assessment of long-term bronchiolar clearance of particles from measurements of lung retention and theoretical estimates of regional deposition. , 1999, Experimental Lung Research.

[6]  D. Gregoratto,et al.  Modelling particle retention in the alveolar–interstitial region of the human lungs , 2010, Journal of radiological protection : official journal of the Society for Radiological Protection.

[7]  E. H. Carbaugh,et al.  Two case studies of highly insoluble plutonium inhalation with implications for bioassay. , 2003, Radiation protection dosimetry.

[8]  J. Eikenberg,et al.  Twenty-year follow-up of a Pu/Am inhalation case. , 2006, Radiation protection dosimetry.

[9]  Icrp.  Human Respiratory Tract Model for Radiological Protection , 1994 .

[10]  P. Fritsch.  Uncertainties in doses calculated according to ICRP recommendations after inhalation of 239PUO2 and early chest monitoring. , 2006, Radiation protection dosimetry.

[11]  M R Bailey,et al.  Internal dose assessments: uncertainty studies and update of ideas guidelines and databases within CONRAD project. , 2008, Radiation protection dosimetry.