Plutonium in south-central Washington State autopsy tissue samples--1970-1975

Results are presented of postmortem human tissue sampling and analysis for plutonium of Hanford Site workers, residents of the nearby Tri-Cities, and individuals residing farther away from the Hanford Site for the period 1970-1975. The majority of Hanford Site workers and nearby residents coming to autopsy had tissue concentrations of plutonium no larger than those who lived farther away from Hanford and whose likely source of plutonium was limited to nuclear weapons testing fallout. Thus, Hanford operations up to that time apparently had made no significant addition to plutonium in those individuals sampled postmortem.