Identification of Health Risks in Workers Staying and Working on the Terrains Contaminated with Depleted Uranium

Abstract

This study investigated health risks in workers residing and working in terrains contaminated by low ionizing radiation doses which originated from ammunition containing depleted uranium (DU). The studied population was composed of two test groups (T-I, T-II) who were occasionally exposed to DU, and two referent (R-I, R-II) groups not exposed at any time to DU. All of them were evaluated for the following: complete clinical examination and blood count, presence of immature forms and blasts, leukocyte alkaline phosphatase activity and cytogenetic tests. The probability of onset of the characteristic complete biomarkers--chromosomal aberrations, was analyzed using logarithmic function of the Poisson regression. The estimated function of the density of probabilities of Poisson distribution of the chromosomal aberrations in the test group T-II was drastically different from the corresponding distribution of the referent group R-I and to a somewhat lesser extent from the group R-II; Wilcoxon test exactly confirms the presence of a significant difference between the reference group R-II and test group T-II, p < 0.05. The damages to chromosomes and cells were highest in the test group T-II of workers additionally occupationally exposed to DU. The group of workers T-I, who had been exposed to DU working on contaminated terrain, have had certain risks of cell and chromosome damages, and that risk was not greater than the risk to the referent group R-II of workers occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation.

Zebrafish exposure to environmentally relevant concentration of depleted uranium impairs progeny development at the molecular and histological levels

“…Recent data also demonstrate the modification of epigenetics marks after chronic exposure to DU [22] that could contribute to the transgenerational and the carcinogenic effects of DU. DU can induce tumorigenesis in osteoblast cell lines [50] but epidemiological [51] and in vivo studies are scarce [12]. Our data suggest that, upon chronic exposure, low levels of DU can affect cell adhesion and exerts its genotoxic effects, in the long term, in a way that is, at least in part, reminiscent of the mechanism of action of cadmium, which might involve the induction of DNA mutations and carcinogenesis.…”

Impacts of Terrestrial Ionizing Radiation on the Hematopoietic System

“…In a study it was found that the levels of CD4+ T lymphocytes in a radiation-exposed group were significantly lower as compared to the controls [113]. Increased health risk of the workers exposed to small but persistent doses of ionizing radiations from their profession as well as from the contaminated environment by depleted uranium has radiobiological effects [121]. Similarly, a study was conducted to analyze blood count parameters of the people who were residing and working in terrain where low levels of ionizing radiation doses were present [122].…”

The Toxicity of Depleted Uranium

“…There are also indications of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT) mutation in some Gulf War veterans [40] as well as chromosomal aberrations in a German study group [45]. Two studies have found suggestive chromosomal aberrations in workers exposed to DU [46,47]. …”