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A Pro33sal to Exhume t h e Remains cf Cirtain Individuals In order t p determine the relationsdips bstween urinary plutonium excretion and body 2lutoniun content, 18 persolrs were injected with tracer doses of 239Pu dwing t h e years 1945 through 1947. It is not clear at this time if all of thes=. irldividuals were aware'of t h ? nature Dfthe material administered or the reasons for its adminisbati3,n. This study w a s described in a n AEC doccxent dated September 20, 1950: LA-1 151, Distributhn and. Excretion of Plutoniuz Administered Intravenously to Man. The purs3ses of the study were listed irr this document as "1. To mi2imize the degree of uncertainty inherent in extrapolating 2 . To pr xi de the Sest possible quantitztive basis for the diagnosis of deqee of exp sure of personnel tz plutonium. 3 . To determine t h e degree of fixation 35 plutonium by man and establish criteria for the period of retkement from further exposure of workzrs having received a maxixxxi 3ermissible dose. 4. To prsvide mxe extensive and quantitative data on the deposition and excrztion 3f plutonium by man as a basis f x future consideratiDn of maxirnun? girmissible body tolerance. "Need for t 3 e above information was reczgnized several years ago. It w a s also remgnizzd that such information could 5e obtained only by administering s m a l l tracsr amounts of plutonium to persans with a relatively short I*. ..The life expectancy of t h e individual was carefully considered as a basis of selectiDn of the subjects for study. Asa rule, the subjects were past forty-five yess gf age and suffering from ckmnic disorders such that survival for ten yzsrs was highly improbable. B y adhering to these criteria, t h e possibility of 13tZ radiation effects develo33-3 would be avoided. a n opportunity t3 35tain gst-mortem material within a few months, or at mast a few years, would be much greater. I' In 1972, Dr. Patricia Durbin published a gaper entitled "Plutonium in Durbin examined :33 3xcrzgiDn and autopsy dats f ~ rthese c a s e s , and searched
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were still living, azd, turning her information over to t h e Cani& for Human Radiobiology, suggisted that we continue t o follow these individuals. Urine and fecal samples have now been obtained f r x n : h e of these cases, so t h a t the 2riginal "Langham" excretion studies havi 23-N been extended to some 27 years aker plutonium acquisition. The personal p5:;sicians responsible for these individuals have been informed of the adrninistratim 5 plutonium to their patients, and have been requested tr, appropriately infxzl the individual, or, if this is deemed inappropriate, to inform a competent i n i d e r of the family. W e have exhuned, with permission of all surviving fal-ily members, the remains of one bdividual who died 1 7 months after plutmPz.3 administration. We have determined t h a t excellent f iss ioE-track autxadiDgrapbs can be made from bone sectims which clearly show t h e distribution of plutxium in bone. We also have deterxined that the plutonium content of bDdy tissues c a n be measured by radiochsnical procedures. The Center f x Human Radiobiology has been advissd t h t approval of the Argonne's Human-Use Committee shDuld be obtained beixs any further attempts are made t3 exhume additional plutonium cases. JYs, therefore, a r e requesting permissi2,n to continue these studies. The taxicity -,f plutonium in man is nat known, n3r are :hz details of the metabolism D f pl-Ltonium by the human body. distribution in these individuals, we expect to learn: spleen, kidneys, gonads I ... t h e total body Pu retention the skelstal deposition and retention on a bans-by-bone basis, t3 determine the degree 3f variability that sxists from bons t:, bone the burizl of Pu within cortical b m e , and hence i-,?xtant dDsime'iic parameters, due t3 natural bane rez Das j ng, after its initial deposition on the bone surface, 5:; the newer axtxadiographic teclnicjues This information will greatly strengthen c)ur attempts iz xanslate t h e information gained ? 2 2 3ur studies of ra2i::z-i in ixzx kits 5 ;:sZ:cciDn a i th2 toxicity to man 3 f Ilr.i~rnally-cieposit~~pli;tsiliuri1. These csss3are of exttems are known. In can east, the few cases D f accidental plutDnixr- 2zquisitim,
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where often t h e t i m e is pobrly known and the quantity acquired is never known, are of much less value f x these purposes. We have located a number of the dhceased cases and have identified some of t h e sunriving next of kin. We propose to contact these relatives, and to request permissim for exhumation. Our protocol will include a descriptim of the study that was undertaken in 1945 under the auspices of the Manhattan District, and its purposes. *We will make sure that the family is aware that t h e deceased was injected with plutonium for a metabolic study, and that this procedure may have been undertaken without the full knowledge As in all exhumation studies, the remains are handled with proper respect and discretion. The specimens required for the studies indicated above are obtained, and, on completion of the studies, a l l remaining materials are properly reinteired. The identity of the individual is carefully protected so that when t h e results of these studies are published in t h e scientific literature, there is no way in which t h e y can be related to t h e individual studied. The exhumation and transportation of the body to Illinois a r e done by arrangement with a funeral director who is located near the place of burial. Final transportation t=,-rLgonne is done by arrangement with a funeral director located near Argonne. At Building 203, we have several walk-in freezers and cold rooms for storage of the body and an autopsy laboratory which is used only for dissectim of human remains. These facilities are well-equipped and protected from observation by personnel not involved in t h i s work. Any remains not returned for reinterment will b e incinerated in a crematorium for human remains when studies are completed. Attached are copies of two types of forms for permission to exhume from t h e next of kin. One form is that which has been used by t h e Radioactivity Center of M.I.T. which is under contract to t h e Center for Human Radiobiology. The other form is propDsed for u s e by ANL personnel. The principal staff at this time is the same as listed in the report of
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TO Whoa It May Concern: ... hereby authorize the d is interns nt and examination of the' examination and to retain such bo?;e specimens as tne scien-'='b.-&&+- aarsoznel nay deem ZLt.
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To Whom It May Concern: , do hereby authorize the disinterment and examination of the remains of my late I (relationship). ....................., under the direction of the Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne , Illinois, such disinterment and examination to be for the purpose of advancing medical and scientific research and education. I authorize the transportation of said remains to the Argonne National Laboratory for t h e purpose of carrying out s u c h examination and to retain such specimens as t h e scientific personnel may deem fit. Address City, State Name Address City, State