The NCRP wound model: development and application

The US National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, in collaboration with the International Commission on Radiological Protection, has been developing a biokinetic and dosimetric model for radionuclide-contaminated wounds. The finalised model is described briefly in this paper, together with the scientific basis and application. The multicompartment model uses first-order linear biokinetics to describe the retention and clearance of a radionuclide deposited in a wound site using seven default retention categories. Examples using plutonium nitrate in colloidal form and uranium in metal fragments show the behaviour of the less soluble forms of radionuclides in wounds, in which long-term retention is predicted. Using uranium as an example, the wound model is coupled to a uranium International Commission on Radiological Protection systemic model to predict urinary excretion patterns for different physicochemical forms of uranium. The latter application is needed for bioassay interpretation.