A systemic biokinetic model for polonium

Although the biokinetics of polonium has been studied extensively, interpre tation of the data is complicated by potential differences with species and route of exposure and the questionable reliability of much of the reported excretion data for man. A study was undertaken to identify the data that a re most likely to represent the typical behavior of polonium and apply thos e data to construct an improved, physiologically realistic systemic biokine tic model for polonium in man. Such a model is needed for interpretation of urinary excretion data for workers exposed to Po-210 and reconstruction of the radiation doses received by those workers. This paper reviews the data base on the biokinetics of polonium and describes a new systemic biokinetic model for polonium in man. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reser ved.