Techniques for studying the distribution of alpha -emitting and fissionable radionuclides in histological lung sections

摘要

Describes how the distribution of alpha -emitting and fissionable radionuclides, in this case a mixture of uranium isotopes, in histological sections of lung can be measured using either the NIAR technique or alpha -autoradiography with cellulose nitrate films. Since both techniques allow the section to be preserved it was possible to use the same section for NIAR, for alpha -autoradiography and for delayed-neutron analysis. The delayed-neutron analysis made it possible to assay the total amount of uranium present in each section and thus to determine the absolute detection efficiencies of the NIAR and alpha autoradiographic techniques. The NIARS and alpha -autoradiographs allowed the authors to measure not only the total amount of uranium present in each section, but also its microscopic distribution.