ABSTRACT
A biokinetic model is a set of mathematical functions that describe the time-dependent behavior of material that enters the body via a number of possible routes of intake. Biokinetic models are used to predict the time-dependent distribution of materials in the body and their rates of elimination along specific excretion pathways. The biokinetic models illustrated in this chapter are from published or upcoming reports of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). The ICRP’s biokinetic models are generally first-order compartment models, with movement between compartments defined by transfer coefficients. A separate model for the intravenous injection case is not provided by the ICRP; this case can be addressed by assigning material to a blood compartment of the appropriate ICRP biokinetic model at time zero. The systemic biokinetic models used in Publication 30 are generally in the form of retention functions that may be interpreted as first-order compartmental models with one-directional flow of activity.
