Plutonium in the Developing Animal

It is evident that many of the parameters used for calculation of permissible limits of exposure to radionuclides are different for the immature individual than for the adult. We have assembled the available data on such metabolic parameters as absorption, partition and retention, and find distinctive changes in these parameters which occur during maturation. Moreover, the radiation sensitivity of individual organs, and of the whole organism, changes during development. We have examined the effect of these changes on the selection of the critical organ in the immature animal.