Purging transuranium elements from the body

Calcium and Zinc Pentetates (DTPA)

Introduction. These two injectable compounds have been approved by the US FDA for purging the body of the transuranium elements encountered from a "dirty" bomb.

The new compound is a relative of the common chelating agent EDTA. EDTA is usually sold as the free acid (all the negative charges are partnered with hydrogen ions), or as the tetrasodium salt, or as the mono-, di-, and tri-sodium salts.

The new antidote for cleansing radioactive transuranium compounds is shown next. It is usually prepared as the calcium or zinc tri-sodium salts.

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