The presence of the radionuclide in the lung tissue of the Chernobyl catastrophe liquidator

Abstract

It is well known that the inhaled dust particles are present in the cytoplasm of alveolar macrophages of the patients with pneumoconiosis during many years. Similar mechanism of long-term deposition of the radioactive dust particles in alveolar macrophages is very important especially in connection with Chernobyl events and nuclear weapon tests in the atmosphere. A man of 66 years old who took an active part in the liquidation of Chernobyl catastrophe consequences, whose irradiation dose was 24 roentgens was examined. In march 1993 during the prophylactic examination the peripheral lung tumor of the lower left lobe with the penetration into the lung root was discovered by the method of computer tomography. The certain histological features very typical for adenocarcinoma were found in the samples of the tumor. Moreover, with the help of the electron microscopy method it was found that the cytoplasm of 40% of alveolar macrophages contained large (0,5—1,0 mkm in diameter) high density particles. By X- and gamma-ray spectrometry methods a significantly high level (0,1—0,18 Bq) of ¹³⁷Cs was detected in all investigated samples of tumor tissue in March 1993. The increased level of ¹³⁷Cs in the liquidator's lung is good evidence of the long-term accumulation of radionuclide in the lung tissue.