Uranium in the Tissues of an Occupationally Exposed Individual

Abstract

Uranium concentrations were radiochemically determined in samples of lung, kidney, liver and bone collected at autopsy from an occupationally exposed individual. Levels of U in these tissues were clearly in excess of those expected from environmental exposure. Deposition followed the pattern: skeleton greater than liver greater than kidney, with ratios of 63:2.8:1. The data suggest there is an important long-term storage depot in the skeleton, but the fraction transferred to this compartment, as proposed by ICRP 30, may be too small. In vivo chest counts obtained over about a 10-y period prior to death indicated about a factor of 2 greater in total U content and 235U enrichment than deposition estimates made at autopsy for the lungs and associated lymph nodes.

French cohort of the uranium processing workers: mortality pattern after 30-year follow-up

“…A positive dose-response relationship was found between the exposure to internal radiation after inhalation of airborne uranium particles and mortality from lymphopoietic cancers (Morgenstern and Ritz 2001;Ritz et al 2000). Increases in mortality from lymphatic cancer are consistent with the evidence from the study of uranium distribution both in animals (Galle et al 1992;Leach et al 1973) and in humans (Kathren et al 1989;Keane and Polednak 1983;Russell and Kathren 2004), especially after absorbing insoluble uranium particles. However, the role played by radiation exposure in the etiology of lymphoma and multiple myeloma is not clearly established (Kyle and Rajkumar 2007) and other factors (such as halogenated solvents, agricultural occupations, benzene and petroleum products, obesity, immune or antigenic stimulation, or genetics) may be responsible.…”

Half-century archives of occupational medical data on French nuclear workers: a dusty warehouse or gold mine for epidemiological research?

“…Kathren et al (27,28) have already pointed to acute internal exposure to uranium compounds as the possible cause of kidney disease (27,28). Low-dose radiation effects are less consistent in the literature, but some of the evidence calls for further studies (29,30).…”

Uran und Human-Biomonitoring

“…Die Kon zen tra ti ons ver hält nis se in den Or ga nen Kno chen, Le ber und Nie re werden mit 63 zu 3 zu 1 an ge ge ben, ein Hinweis auf die he raus ra gen de Be deu tung des Ske letts als Lang zeitspei cher or gan für Uran [24].…”