A versatile plutonium-238 irradiator for radiobiological studies with alpha-particles
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 4, 2026

Speciation and Bioavailability Measurements of Environmental Plutonium Using Diffusion in Thin Films
Published on: November 9, 2015
D T Goodhead1, D A Bance, A Stretch
1Medical Research Council Radiobiology Unit, Chilton, Didcot, UK.
Abstract:
A versatile irradiator has been constructed for in vitro irradiation of mammalian cells with alpha-particles of well-defined energy, LET, direction, dose and dose rate. It is based on approximately 1.2 x 10(9) Bq of 238Pu (on a platinum disc) contained in a He-filled chamber. In a standard configuration, monolayers of cells grown in 10 Hostaphan-based dishes are irradiated with 3.26 +/- 0.22 MeV alpha-particles (LET 121 keV microns-1) at selectable dose rates from approximately 2 Gy min-1 down to less than 10(-4) Gy min-1 (i.e. fluence rates of 1 x 10(7) cm-2 min-1 to 3 x 10(2) cm-2 min-1). Single dishes can be irradiated at dose rates up to 24 Gy min-1 (fluence rate 1 x 10(8) cm-2 min-1). Incident energy and LET can be varied from 0.8 to 4.2 MeV and 266 to 102 keV microns-1, respectively. The irradiator has full incubation and gassing facilities for protracted irradiations. The irradiator is particularly suitable for in vitro analytical studies of the biological effects of alpha-particles of energies and LETs similar to those which cells may receive in vivo from radionuclides such as radon and the actinides. It has been used successfully for investigations of a variety of alpha-particle-induced effects in different cell types irradiated either as attached monolayers or as very thin suspensions.
More Related Videos
09:49A Whole Body Dosimetry Protocol for Peptide-Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT): 2D Planar Image and Hybrid 2D+3D SPECT/CT Image Methods
Published on: April 24, 2020
06:20Irradiator Commissioning and Dosimetry for Assessment of LQ α and β Parameters, Radiation Dosing Schema, and in vivo Dose Deposition
Published on: March 11, 2021
Related Concept Videos
Types of Radioactivity
Alpha (α) decay is the emission of an α particle from the nucleus. For example, polonium-210 undergoes α decay:
Nuclear Transmutation
Biological Effects of Radiation
Positron Emission Tomography
One of the main requirements of a PET scan is a positron-emitting radioisotope, which is produced in a cyclotron and then attached to a substance used by the part of the body being...
Isotopes and Radioisotopes
An isotope containing more...
Imaging Studies II: Positron Emission Tomography and Scintigraphy
Fundamental Principles of PET