Determination of 234U/238U ratio: comparison of multi-collector ICPMS and ICP-QMS for water, hair and nails samples, and comparison with alpha-spectrometry for water samples

A multi-collector ICP-MS method for quantification of plutonium, uranium, and americium in hair and nails of occupationally or medically exposed individuals

The 239Pu, 238U, and 241Am concentrations and 239Pu/240Pu, 235U/238U, and 236U/238U atom ratios were measured in the hair and nail samples using a new method utilized TEVA, UTEVA, and DGA extraction chromatography and multi-collector ICP-MS. Samples were collected from individuals who donated their bodies to the United States Transuranium and Uranium Registries. The concentration of 239Pu ranged from 0.22 to 15.8 ng/kg. The 240Pu/239Pu isotopic ratios ranged from 0.026 to 0.127 which is consistent with weapons-grade plutonium. Concentration of uranium fell between 1.84 μg/kg and 29.5 μg/kg and 235U/238U ratios ranged from 4.8 × 10-3 to 7.6 × 10-3. Elevated 236U/238U atom ratios were measured in two cases and ranged from 5.0 × 10-6 - 2.4 × 10-5 indicating exposure to spent or reprocessed uranium material. The concentration of 241Am was measured in four hair samples and ranged from 0.02 to 0.21 ng/kg.

Alpha spectrometry isotopic ratios indications in the Paleozoic sedimentary rock of El Gor area, Southwestern Sinai, Egypt: insights on uranium mobility age

The study area is located between longitude 33° 18' 00" - 33° 21' 00" E and latitude 28° 59' - 29° 01' N and covers approximately 700 km². Uranium and thorium isotopes were determined by alpha spectrometry. The activity concentrations of ²³⁸U, ²³⁴U and ²³⁵U were ranged between 245.5 ± 8.3-465.2 ± 15.2 Bq.kg^-1 with an average 345.5 ± 10.4-452.5 ± 9.3 Bq.kg^-1 and 890.5 ± 21.3 Bq.kg^-1 with an average 632.3 ± 14.9-11.40 ± 0.5 Bq.kg^-1 and 21.50 ± 1.4 Bq.kg^-1, respectively. The activity concentration of ²³²Th, ²³⁰Th and ²²⁸Th were ranged between 153.1 ± 0.3-318.1 ± 2.9 Bq.kg^-1, 149.5 ± 0.7-280.8 ± 2.2 Bq.kg^-1 and 36.9 ± 0.1-60.5 ± 0.9 Bq.kg^-1. The ²³⁰Th/²³²Th activity ratios in all samples were lower than 20, indicating that these samples have been contaminated by detrital ²³⁰Th. Th/U ratio varied between 1.3 and 2.1 with an average 1.8; all values were lower than 3.5, indicated enrichment of uranium. ²³⁴U/²³⁸U activity ratios that higher than unity indicates that an isotope of uranium has migrated within the rock. From the isotopes of uranium and thorium and their activity ratios, the isochron age for the collected samples was about 58.96 ka.

Toxic metals in toenails as biomarkers of exposure: A review

Toenails have been used as biomarkers of exposure to toxic metals, but their validity for this purpose is not yet clear and might differ depending on the specific agent. To evaluate this issue, we reviewed the literature on: a) the time-window of exposure reflected by toenails; b) the reproducibility of toenail toxic-metal levels in repeated measures over time; c) their relationship with other biomarkers of exposure, and; d) their association with potential determinants (i.e. sociodemographic, anthropometric, or lifestyle characteristics) or with sources of exposure like diet or environmental pollution. Thus, we performed a systematic review, searching for articles that provided original data for levels of any of the following toxic metals in toenails: aluminum, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, mercury, nickel, lead, thallium and uranium. We identified 88 articles, reporting data from 67 different research projects, which were quite heterogeneous with regard to population profile, sample size and analytical technique. The most commonly studied metal was mercury. Concerning the time-window of exposure explored by toenails, some reports indicate that toenail cadmium, nickel and lead may reflect exposures that occurred 7-12 months before sampling. For repeated samples obtained 1-6 years apart, the range of intraindividual correlation coefficients of aluminum, chromium and mercury was 0.33-0.56. The correlation of toxic metal concentrations between toenails and other matrices was higher for hair and fingernails than for urine or blood. Mercury levels were consistently associated with fish intake, while other toxic metals were occasionally associated with specific sources (e.g. drinking water, place of residence, environmental pollution, and occupation). The most frequently evaluated health endpoints were cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and central nervous system diseases. Available data suggest that toenail mercury levels reflected long-term exposures and showed positive associations with fish intake. The lack of standardization in sample collection, quality control, analytical techniques and procedures - along with the heterogeneity and conflicting results among studies - mean it is still difficult to conclude that toenails are a good biomarker of exposure to toxic metals. Further studies are needed to draw solid conclusions about the suitability of toenails as biomarkers of exposure to toxic metals.

Determination of 234U/238U, 235U/238U and 236U/238U isotope ratios in urine using sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Quantification of the isotopic composition of uranium in urine at low levels of concentration is important for assessing both military and civilian populations' exposures to uranium. However, until now there has been no convenient, precise method established for rapid determination of multiple uranium isotope ratios. Here, the authors report a new method to measure (234)U/(238)U, (235)U/(238)U and (236)U/(238)U. It uses solid-phase chelation extraction (via TRU columns) of actinides from the urine matrix, followed by measurement using a magnetic sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (SF-ICP-MS-Thermo Element XR) equipped with a high-efficiency nebulizer (Apex PFA microflow) and coupled with a membrane desolvating nebulizer system (Aridus II™). This method provides rapid and reliable results and has been used successfully to analyse Certified Reference Materials.

Collection of biological samples in forensic toxicology

Forensic toxicology is the study and practice of the application of toxicology to the purposes of the law. The relevance of any finding is determined, in the first instance, by the nature and integrity of the specimen(s) submitted for analysis. This means that there are several specific challenges to select and collect specimens for ante-mortem and post-mortem toxicology investigation. Post-mortem specimens may be numerous and can endow some special difficulties compared to clinical specimens, namely those resulting from autolytic and putrefactive changes. Storage stability is also an important issue to be considered during the pre-analytic phase, since its consideration should facilitate the assessment of sample quality and the analytical result obtained from that sample. The knowledge on degradation mechanisms and methods to increase storage stability may enable the forensic toxicologist to circumvent possible difficulties. Therefore, advantages and limitations of specimen preservation procedures are thoroughfully discussed in this review. Presently, harmonized protocols for sampling in suspected intoxications would have obvious utility. In the present article an overview is given on sampling procedures for routinely collected specimens as well as on alternative specimens that may provide additional information on the route and timing of exposure to a specific xenobiotic. Last, but not least, a discussion on possible bias that can influence the interpretation of toxicological results is provided. This comprehensive review article is intented as a significant help for forensic toxicologists to accomplish their frequently overwhelming mission.

An incident study about acute and chronic human exposure to uranium by high-resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICPMS)

From the year 2003 to 2005 around 1700 Dutch soldiers made a part of the international stabilisation force in Iraq. An incident happened as a group of four Dutch soldiers found a 30mm bullet identified as containing depleted uranium (DU). The main pathway of the acute exposure is via inhalation of small uranium containing particles, e.g. from a bullet during its explosion. To develop a method for acute exposure investigations were carried out about finding an efficient and suitable way to sample nasal mucus as medium of inhalation. Generally, in human exposure studies with regard to natural uranium (NU) or DU, urine is the matrix for analysis. Uranium concentrations in urine are based on daily ingestion depending on the composition of drinking water and food. A second possibility is the acute exposure to uranium after an incident, either through inhalation or impact. Nevertheless, the results deliver only interpretations in respect to chronic/long-term exposure. For the acute exposure procedures like sniffling out into cleansing tissues and rinsing the nose were tested with real-life samples from four soldiers involved in an incident with possibly acute exposure to uranium. For the quantification of uranium high-resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICPMS) was applied.