Acute toxicity of uranium hexafluoride, uranyl fluoride and hydrogen fluoride

Uranium hexafluoride (UF/sub 6/) released into the atmosphere will react rapidly with moisture in the air to form the hydrolysis products uranyl fluoride (UO/sub 2/F/sub 2/) and hydrogen fluoride (HF). Uranium compounds such as UF/sub 6/ and UO/sub 2/F/sub 2/ exhibit both chemical toxicity and radiological effects, while HF exhibits only chemical toxicity. This paper describes the development of a methodology for assessing the human health consequences of a known acute exposure to a mixture of UF/sub 6/, UO/sub 2/F/sub 2/, and HF. 4 refs., 2 figs., 5 tabs