Isotopic Composition of Plutonium in Human Tissue Samples Determined by Mass Spectrometry

Authors:
  • DPD.S. Popplewell
    D.S. Popplewell
  • GHG.J. Ham
    G.J. Ham
  • WMW. McCarthy
    W. McCarthy
  • MMM. Morgan
    M. Morgan
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Abstract
A previous publication has reported that the concentrations of plutonium in autopsy tissues taken from west Cumbrian people who had not worked in the nuclear energy industries were generally higher than tissue concentrations in people from other regions of Great Britain. In order to learn something of the origins of this plutonium, it has been subjected to isotopic analysis using mass spectrometry. The results provide strong circumstantial evidence that plutonium from aerial discharges from the British Nuclear Fuels plant at Sellafield has found its way into the tissues of the local populace.