Lung clearance of neutron-activated Mount St. Helens volcanic ash in the rat

To determine pulmonary deposition and clearance of inhaled volcanic ash, rats received a single 60-min, nose-only exposure to neutron-activated ash. Over a period of 128 days after exposure, the rats were sacrificed in groups of five animals. Lungs were analyzed for the radionuclide tracers 46Sc, 59Fe, and 60Co by gamma-ray spectrometry. The alveolar ash burdens, determined by the radionuclides 46Sc and 59Fe, are in good agreement for the majority of samples analyzed, indicating ash particulate levels in the lungs, rather than leached radionuclides. The ash deposition estimates based on 60Co were appreciably lower for the lungs, indicating that 60Co leached from the ash. Approximately 110 micrograms ash, or 6% of the inhaled ash, was initially retained in the deep lung. The biological half-time of the alveolar ash burden was 39 days. After 90 days, the mean lung burden had decreased to about 20% of its initial value; 128 days after exposure, about 10% remained.