Scab incidence on pig skin resulting from hot particle exposures under varying conditions.

External irradiations of pig skin using radioactive sources of less than 600 microm in the largest dimension (hot particles) were carried out. The objective of the study was to determine a threshold for scab induction. Hot particles used included fissioned 235U and activated 170Tm, 17SYb, and 46Sc with maximum beta-particle energies of approximately 1.8 (average), 0.97, 0.47, and 0.35 MeV, respectively. The photon emissions from the fissioned 235U were about 1 MeV per disintegration. The photon emissions from 46Sc were 0.89 and 1.12 MeV, with 100% abundance. Photon emissions from 170Tm and 175Yb were negligible. Responses followed cumulative normal probability distributions; thus, no true thresholds could be determined. Hence, 10% and 50% scab incidence rates (ED10 and ED50, respectively) were determined using probit analysis. For dose averaged over 1 cm2 at a depth of 70 microm, the ED10 (and 95% confidence limits) were 5.1 (2.7-7.2) Gy for 46Sc, 1.3 (0.89-1.8) Gy for 175Yb, 2.8 (1.9-3.5) Gy for 170Tm, 8.5 (5.7-9.8) Gy for on-skin fissioned UC2, and 4.5 (0.9-7.2) Gy for off-skin fissioned UC2. The ED50 values were 12 (8.8-17) Gy for 46Sc, 6.0 (4.3-9.7) Gy for 175Yb, 5.9 (5.1-6.7) Gy for 170Tm, 11 (9.9-19) Gy for on-skin fissioned 235UC2, and 11 (6.2-14) Gy for off-skin fissioned 235UC2.