A Note on the Distribution of Radium and a Calculation of the Radiation Dose Non-uniformity Factor for Radium 226 and Strontium 90 in the Femur of a Luminous Dial Painter

The distribution of radium in sections of a femur from a dial painter exposed one year, who died 33 years later, is described. The total body burden of radium was calculated to be 2·1 μg, while that estimated by Dr. Hasterlik from radon measurements in breath was 2·7 μg. The range of values for the radiation dose non-uniformity factors in the present case for 226Ra was from 1·5 to 14 and for 90Sr from 0·3 to 3·1. These values agree closely with those obtained in a previous patient exposed to radium. The dose-rates in the concentration sites in the two cases are approximately proportional to the body burden.