Toxicity of Depleted Uranium
Abstract
Several soldiers from the Gulf War were wounded by depleted uranium (DU)-containing shrapnel. There is concern that DU may be more hazardous than other shrapnel because of its radioactivity and known toxicity to the kidney. Predictions of risk are necessary to guide the medical management of soldiers with DU-bearing wounds both now and in the future. We are determining the carcinogenicity of radioactive DU fragments in tissues relative to nonradioactive foreign-body fragments and assessing the potential for renal toxicity of DU fragments by correlating urine and kidney concentrations of U with time after implantation. DU fragments of differing sizes and shapes are being implanted in the soft tissue of rodents to compare with results from animals implanted with inert metals. In this way a toxicity ratio will be determined that can be used to predict the expected response in humans from the known response of humans to relatively inert shrapnel. To date, a pilot study has been completed to determine important experimental design parameters for studying the foreign-body response using this test system in animals. Parameters defined include fragment in vitro and in vivo solubility, optimal fragment size and shape for implantation, changes in the surface characteristics of fragments that could be important in carcinogenesis, and determination that fragments of DU alloyed with titanium DU(Ti) would be more desirable than nonalloyed DU based on particle solubility. A long-term carcinogenesis study of DU fragments implanted in the muscles of rats has been initiated.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADB230208
Entities
People
- Fletcher F. Hahn
Organizations
- United States Department of Energy