Chemical Protection Against Early Radiation Mortality of the Young Chicken. ∗

Abstract

Summary

AET given fifteen minutes prior to radiation exposure acts to protect the acutely irradiated chick from injuries leading to death in the early (0–48 hour) period, producing an effective dose reduction of approximately 200 r. Two distinct phases of mortality are seen within 48 hours of exposure. The first period, 3–9 hours post-exposure, is characterized by an approximately linear dose-mortality response above 750 r. In the second phase (17–30 hours) approximately 40% of the animals irradiated with 750 r died, no increase being observed with higher radiation doses.