Plutonium in Children's Milk Teeth from Nuclear Tests
Author Information
Author(s): Froidevaux Pascal, Haldimann Max
Primary Institution: University Institute of Radiation Physics, University Hospital Center, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
Hypothesis
Can plutonium from nuclear fallout be transferred from pregnant women to their fetuses through the placenta?
Conclusion
Plutonium found in milk teeth is due to fallout inhaled after birth, not from placental transfer during pregnancy.
Supporting Evidence
- Plutonium activity peaks in milk teeth of children born about 10 years before the highest recorded levels of plutonium fallout.
- Unlike strontium-90, plutonium does not cross the placental barrier.
- Milk teeth can be used to investigate plutonium transfer from mother to fetus.
Takeaway
The study looked at children's teeth to see if they got plutonium from their moms while they were in the belly, but it turns out they got it from the air after they were born.
Methodology
Milk teeth were collected and analyzed for plutonium levels using sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.
Limitations
Teeth were not collected for children born between 1972 and 1980 due to financial cuts.
Participant Demographics
Children born in Switzerland between 1951 and 1995.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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