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Effects of Internal Irradation of the Mammary Gland with ¹⁴⁴Cerium-¹⁴⁴Praseodymium

Dairy Department, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville 37901
and UT-AEC Agricultural Research Program,¹ Oak Ridge 37832

ABSTRACT

Left udder halves of two Jersey cows were given intramammary infusions at six-week intervals with ¹⁴⁴Ce-¹⁴⁴Pr to give approximately 975, 650, and 1,300 rad per treatment. Two other cows were given left-half treatments of 650 and 1,300 rad 64 days apart. Milk yield of the treated halves remained comparable to that of the control halves until the last treatments, when it declined. Reduced hay consumption accompanied the decline in milk yields. Milk composition of treated and control halves did not differ significantly. One cow in a succeeding lactation showed a marked reduction of yield in the irradiated half. Nearly 15% of the radioactivity was retained in the body. High concentrations of ¹⁴⁴Ce-¹⁴⁴Pr accumulated in the liver, spleen, skeleton, and treated half mammary lymph glands. Histological evidence of damage to the mammary secretory epithelium was noted. Chronic hematopoietic damage occurred which resulted in death of three of the cows about four months after the last treatment. The fourth cow died two years later with extensive edema involving the left half of the udder. It was concluded that the mammary gland secretory epithelium is relatively resistant to irradiation damage, but is measurably affected at doses of 1,300 rad. Effects on the mammary glands could not be completely separated from possible systemic effects of absorbed ¹⁴⁴Ce.¹⁴⁴pr

¹ Operated by the University of Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission under Contract number AT-40-1-GEN-242.