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U.S. Transuranium and Uranium Registries News

Former USTUR director donates radiological book collection to WSU Tri-Cities


Ronald and Susan Kathren

Former USTUR director and WSU professor emeritus, Ronald Kathren, and his wife, Susan, donated an extensive collection of radiological books to WSU Tri-Cities. The collection consists of books on topics relevant to the radiological sciences, such as radiation biophysics, and radioactivity and health. The Ronald and Susan Kathren Radiological and Affiliated Sciences Collection is located in the Max E. Benitz Memorial Library, and was dedicated during a ceremony on Friday May 18. Kathren directed the Registries from 1989-1999, and transferred the program from the Hanford Environmental Health Foundation (HEHF) to WSU in 1992.

WSU Tri-Cities news article

Sara Dumit defends her PhD research


Sara Dumit and her graduate committee: Sayed Daoud, Kathryn E. Meier, Sergei Tolmachev, Jeannie Padowski, Daniel Strom.

The USTUR is pleased to announce that USTUR/College of Pharmacy student, Sara Dumit, successfully defended her doctoral dissertation on May 14, 2018. Her dissertation, titled “Development of a new compartmental model for plutonium decorporation therapy,” describes a new biokinetic model for the removal of plutonium from the human body following administration of the decorporating agent DTPA. Ms. Dumit will submit a paper describing the model to the Health Physics journal.

USTUR director participates in Million Person Study workshop



Sergei Tolmachev participated in the 3rd Million Person Study workshop, held at Oak Ridge National Laboratory on May 2-4, 2018.

L to R: Michael Bellamy (ORNL), Katie Bayles (ORNL), Keith Eckerman (ORNL, NCRP), Betsy Ellis (Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, ORISE), Ashley Golden (ORISE), Mike Mumma (Vanderbilt, IEI), John Boice (NCRP, Vanderbilt), Rich Leggett (ORNL), Luiz Bertelli (LANL), Sergei Tolmachev (USTUR), Shaheen Dewji (ORNL). Photo courtesy of M Bellamy.

Commendation from DOE Associate Under Secretary

At the beginning of our 2018 Scientific Advisory Committee meeting, the USTUR’s project manager, Joey Zhou, presented a letter of commendation from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Matthew Moury to USTUR director, Sergei Tolmachev. Mr. Moury – DOE’s Associate Under Secretary for Environment, Health, Safety and Security – observes that the USTUR is the longest-running domestic radiation health study in the United States, highlights recent research, thanks the USTUR team for its dedication to the program, and expresses a deep sense of gratitude for Registrants and their families.

Letter of Commendation

Scientific Advisory Committee chair gives Parker Lecture

USTUR Scientific Advisory Committee chair, Roger McClellan, discussed the history of radiation and chemicals at Hanford and how science informs public policy during the Spring 2019 Herbert M. Parker Lecture Series. Dr. McClellan gave two lectures that were open to the public, and one that was open only to students. Dr. McClellan is an internationally recognized authority in the fields of inhalation toxicology, aerosol science and human health risk analysis. He is currently an adviser to public and private organizations on inhalation toxicology and human health risk issues. The Parker Lecture Series was sponsored by the Herbert M. Parker Foundation in partnership with WSU Tri-Cities.

Lecture series flier
Student only lunch flier

USTUR director reappointed KEEA technical adviser

USTUR director, Sergei Tolmachev, was reappointed as a technical adviser for the Kyushu Environmental Evaluation Association (KEEA), Japan. His two-year term runs from April 1, 2018 through March 31, 2020.

WSU officials visit the USTUR

Colleen Kerr (WSU Vice President for Government Relations and External Affairs, Chief Legislative Officer), Christopher Keane (WSU Vice President for Research and Professor of Physics), and Dan Nordquist (Associate Vice President, Office of Research Support and Operations) visited the USTUR. USTUR director, Sergei Tolmachev, discussed the history and significance of the USTUR program, and provided a tour of the USTUR laboratory, which includes an autopsy room, a radiochemistry laboratory, an alpha spectrometry counting room, and a sample storage area.

OSU School of Nuclear Science and Engineering Seminar

Sergei Tolmachev and George Tabatadze gave a seminar presentation to Oregon State University students and faculty. Dr. Tolmachev discussed the USTUR research program as a whole. Dr. Tabatadze focused on the radiochemical protocols that the USTUR laboratory uses for actinide analysis, and provided results on the amount of plutonium in tissues from former nuclear workers.

Seminar Flier
Abstract and Presentation Slides

2017 Annual Report

The FY2017 USTUR Annual Report has been completed and is available for download. It summarizes organization, activities, and scientific accomplishments at the USTUR from April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017.

Download Report

USTUR director attends EURADOS internal dosimetry meeting and 2017 ICRP Symposium

Sergei Tolmachev attended the plenary meeting of the European Radiation Dosimetry Group’s (EURADOS) Working Group 7 (WG7) on internal dosimetry in Paris, France. USTUR/EURADOS WG7 discussed progress toward modeling the decorporation of plutonium following treatment with DTPA and EDTA.

Following the EURADOS WG7 meeting, Dr. Tolmachev attended the International Commission on Radiological Protection’s (ICRP) 2017 Symposium.