Biological Effects of ${}^{137}{\rm CsCl}$ Injected in Beagle Dogs

The toxicity of intravenously administered ${}^{137}{\rm CsCl}$ in the beagle dog was investigated as part of a program to evaluate the biological effects of internally deposited fission-product radionuclides. The intravenous route of exposure was chosen for simplicity and accuracy because it was known that after intravenous injection, inhalation or ingestion, internally deposited ${}^{137}{\rm CsCl}$ is rapidly absorbed and distributed throughout the body, exposing the whole body to β-particle and γ radiations. Fifty-four dogs were injected intravenously with137 Cs to provide one group of six dogs with mean initial body burdens of 141 MBq ${}^{137}{\rm Cs}/{\rm kg}$ body mass and four groups of 12 dogs each with mean initial body burdens of 104, 72, 52 and 36 MBq ${}^{137}{\rm Cs}/{\rm kg}$. Twelve dogs were injected with isotonic saline as study controls. Because the number of study control dogs was small, data from an additional 49 control dogs from other studies at the Inhalation Toxicology Research I...