Tritium release from Ti-T layers in air, in aqueous media and in animal experiments

In connection with Ti-T incorporation hazard to which operators of neutron generators are exposed the release of tritium from Ti-T preparations of different ages was studied in experiments carried out in air, in aqueous media and in living animals. Samples were prepared with activities from 10 to 30 mCi and the effect of storage on the tritium release rate was also observed. In 250 days a fraction of 10(-3) of the tritium activity was absorbed by aqueous liquids. In air the release varied from 10(-6) to 10(-7) per hour. The Ti-T samples of different ages, introduced surgically into the abdominal cavity of rats, showed the tritium release rate to decrease with time. The tritium activity observable in the circulation was 5 to 6 orders of magnitude smaller compared with the introduced value. The observations permit the inference that in the case of Ti-T incorporation only a minor fraction of the tritium burden can be assessed from the activity measured in the urine.