Key aspects of decorporation of plutonium and americium in cases of emergency intake by personnel of radiation hazardous production facilities

In conditions of plutonium processing production, despite the achieved improvement of the radiation situation in the workplace, the probability of emergency situations leading to acute inhalation of radionuclides or their entry through damaged skin cannot be ruled out. In such cases, chelates are used to prevent radiation injuries or reduce the risk of their occurrence. The aim of this study was to examine domestic and foreign methodological documents and to determine the degree of completeness and sufficiency of the recommendations contained therein for the decorporation of plutonium and americium with chelate. General recommendations for the use of chelate complexes presented in Publication No. 96 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection, documents of the International Atomic Energy Agency, as well as documents of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements of the United States, and domestic Methodological Guidelines 2.6.1.034-2014 “Order of Interaction between enterprises of State Atomic Energy Corporation “Rosatom” and organs and organizations of FMBA of Russia in case of non-standard (wound) and accidental inhalation intake of plutonium and americium-241 isotopes” were reviewed. Uniform requirements for the procedure for performing decorporation in terms of the frequency of drug administration and the duration of the decorporation course are not established by these documents; also, a uniform approach to determining the criterion for making a decision on the use of a chelate and the end of the decorporation course has not been developed. At present, until uniform criteria for making a decision on the initiation of decorporation therapy have been established, it is proposed to be guided by the principle of promptness and to begin decorporation as soon as possible after the expected or known intake. Then, decorporation tactics should be determined as information on dosimetric assessments becomes available, taking into account the health status of the affected worker, without excluding the possibility of delayed use of the chelate.