Concentration of uranium in human cancerous tissues of Southern Iraqi patients using fission track analysis

Abstract

The technique of nuclear fission track analysis with solid state nuclear track detectors CR-39 has been applied to determine concentrations of uranium in cancerous samples of human tissues that excised from patients in the three key southern Iraqi governorates namely, Basrah, Dhi-Qar, and Muthanna. These provinces were the sites of intensive military events during the Gulf Wars in 1991 and 2003. The investigation was based on the study of 24 abnormal samples and 12 normal samples for comparing the results. These samples include four types of soft tissues (kidney, breast, stomach and uterus). The results show that uranium concentrations in the normal tissues ranged between (1.42-4.76 lg kg -1 ), whereas in the cancerous tissues ranged between (3.37-7.22 lg kg -1 ). The uranium concentrations in the normal tissues were significantly lower than in the abnormal tissues (P \ 0.001).

Effect of gender and occupations on uranium concentration in human blood and soil samples collected from Babylon, Iraq

“…This pellet was placed at a distance of 5 cm from the neutron source of (Am-Be), with a thermal flounce of (3.024×10 9 n cm -2 ) on a dish made of paraffin wax as a calming for the neutron emitted from this source. 18 After the irradiation, the CR-39 detectors were etched by NaOH solution and the tracks density was recorded using the Olympus Optical Microscope with a magnification of 400X. Where U x the uranium concentration for blood (ppb) or soil (ppm) in an unknown sample, U s : the uranium concentration for blood (ppb) or soil (ppm) in the standard sample and ρ x ρ s : track density (tracks/cm 2 ) of the unknown sample and standard samples.…”

Determination of Depleted Uranium Concentration and Histopathological Changes in Local Iraqi Fish and Chickens

“…After the irradiation process, the CR-39 detectors were etched in NaOH solution with normality (N= 6.25) at temperature of 60 °C for 5 h. Olympus optical microscope with magnification of 400 × was used to record the induced fission tracks densities. The fission track densities were measured on the surfaces, showing uniform distribution of uranium samples, and were measured by comparison between the tracks density registered on CR-39 detectors around the samples pellet and that of standard samples pellet by using the following equation UX =UX(PX/PS) (18).…”

In-vitro radiological and toxicological detection in urine samples of cancer patients in Al- Diwaniyah governorate, Iraq

“…Radiological and toxicological contaminants can cause cancerous disease and other changes in the health of humans and the living world in general, thus substantially influencing the changes in the environment (1)(2) . Uranium -heavy element, silver colour -is a radioactive natural element that is commonly distributed in the crust of the earth and it has both radioactive and toxic effects.…”