Absorption of natural uranium in the human gastrointestinal tract
Sviatkina, N.S.; Novikov, I.V.
Gigiena i Sanitariia 1975(1): 43-45
1975
ISSN/ISBN: 0016-9900 PMID: 122948 Document Number: 96102
Subjects were 30 children 7 to 15 and 8 adults 20 to 60 years old all from Uzbekistan. For 6 days faeces and urine were collected and U was estimated in the diet and excreta. The adults excreted 96 to 98% of U intake, of which 93 to 96 percentage units were in faeces and 2.4 to 2.7 in urine. Excretion from children and adolescents was in faeces 90 to 96 and in urine 2 to 4%. In another test U retention was estimated in people whose drinking water contained 1.2 mg U/litre. Total excretion of U was 99%, with faeces accounting for 96.5%. It was concluded that the digestive tract of men can absorb 1 to 4% only of natural U taken in with food.