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Zupunski L, Street R, Ostroumova E, Winde F, Sachs S, Geipel G, Nkosi V, Bouaoun L, Haman T, Schüz J, Mathee A. Environmental exposure to uranium in a population living in close proximity to gold mine tailings in South Africa. J Trace Elem Med Biol 2023; 77:127141. [PMID: 36857995 PMCID: PMC10030373 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2023.127141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gold mining activities in South Africa resulted in contamination of residential environment with uranium-rich wastes from mine tailings. Health of the people living around the mine tailings could be affected by uranium exposure due to its hazardous chemotoxic and radiological properties. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess i) uranium (U) concentrations in individual hair samples of children and adults living in close proximity to mine tailings in Northeast- Soweto in Johannesburg, South Africa, and ii) the association between U concentrations in hair and various factors, including zone of residence, socio-demographic and housing characteristics. Sampling sites were divided into three zones based on the distance between a dwelling and a cluster of mine tailings (zone 1: <= 500 m, zone 2: 2-3 km away, zone 3: 4-5 km away). U concentrations in hair samples were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. To test the association between U concentrations and selected factors we used robust regression models with log-transformed U concentrations. RESULTS Among 128 subjects with available U measurements, 63 (49%) were children (ages 7-15 years) of which 38 were girls, the remaining 65 (51%) were adult females. Mean (median) U concentration in hair samples was 143 (92) µg/kg. In the mutually adjusted analyses, only an inverse association between age and U concentration in hair remained statistically significant, with geometric mean in children being 2.1 times higher compared to adults (P < 0.001). There was no evidence of an association between zones and U concentration (P = 0.42). CONCLUSIONS There was little evidence of association between U concentration in hair and distance from the mine tailings within the 5 km range, but overall concentrations were elevated compared to general population samples in other parts of the world. Children had statistically significantly higher geometric mean of uranium concentration in hair compared to adults. The results are important for improvement of mining waste policies and implementation of health monitoring and protective measures in populations at risk. ARTICLE CATEGORY Research Article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ljubica Zupunski
- International Agency for Research on Cancer, Environment and Lifestyle Epidemiology Branch, WHO, 150 Cours Albert Thomas, CEDEX 08, Lyon 69372, France
| | - Renée Street
- South African Medical Research Council, Environment and Health Research Unit, Health Clinic Building, University of Johannesburg, 55 Beit Street, Doornfontein 2028, South Africa
| | - Evgenia Ostroumova
- International Agency for Research on Cancer, Environment and Lifestyle Epidemiology Branch, WHO, 150 Cours Albert Thomas, CEDEX 08, Lyon 69372, France
| | - Frank Winde
- North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, Research Unit Environmental Science and Management, Vanderbijlpark Campus, North-West University, P.O. Box 1174, Vanderbijlpark 1900, South Africa; Wismut GmbH, Engineering and Radiation Protection, Jagdschänkenstraße 29, Chemnitz 09117, Germany
| | - Susanne Sachs
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Resource Ecology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, Dresden 01328, Germany
| | - Gerhard Geipel
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Resource Ecology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, Dresden 01328, Germany
| | - Vusumuzi Nkosi
- South African Medical Research Council, Environment and Health Research Unit, Health Clinic Building, University of Johannesburg, 55 Beit Street, Doornfontein 2028, South Africa
| | - Liacine Bouaoun
- International Agency for Research on Cancer, Environment and Lifestyle Epidemiology Branch, WHO, 150 Cours Albert Thomas, CEDEX 08, Lyon 69372, France
| | - Tanya Haman
- South African Medical Research Council, Environment and Health Research Unit, Health Clinic Building, University of Johannesburg, 55 Beit Street, Doornfontein 2028, South Africa
| | - Joachim Schüz
- International Agency for Research on Cancer, Environment and Lifestyle Epidemiology Branch, WHO, 150 Cours Albert Thomas, CEDEX 08, Lyon 69372, France
| | - Angela Mathee
- South African Medical Research Council, Environment and Health Research Unit, Health Clinic Building, University of Johannesburg, 55 Beit Street, Doornfontein 2028, South Africa; Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Health Clinic Building, 55 Beit Street, Doornfontein 2028, South Africa.
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MacConnachie M, Lu S, Wang Y, Williams J, Beauchemin D. Sex determination of mummies through multi-elemental analysis of head hair using electrothermal vaporization coupled to inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. RSC Adv 2022; 12:27064-27071. [PMID: 36276002 PMCID: PMC9494207 DOI: 10.1039/d2ra05654b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex determination of human remains is of great archaeological significance, as it provides a more complete picture of social and familial structures within ancient societies. Typically performed through examination of bones in the pelvic region, accurate sex determination can be exceedingly challenging in the absence of a sufficiently preserved skeleton. Here, a method for sex determination in living humans, involving measurement of magnesium, strontium, sulfur, and zinc in head hair along with multivariate statistics, was applied for the first time to hair collected from 500 year-old mummies originating from Peru. Hair samples were washed in doubly deionized water, dried, and ground prior to analysis via electrothermal vaporization coupled to inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry; only 2 mg of hair is required for analysis. Point-by-point internal standardization was performed with Ar i 430.010 nm to compensate for sample loading effects on the plasma. Peak areas were integrated and mass corrected before being used in combination with multivariate analysis. Although principal component analysis provided insufficient separation between the sexes, linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was highly effective for sex determination. Using mummy hair as the LDA model enabled accurate sex prediction of the mummies, showing that, despite the age of the hair, the samples still contain the necessary elemental information for sex determination. For accurate sex determination of mummies using hair collected from living humans, magnesium had to be replaced by sodium due to significant differences in dietary habits. With this simple modification, hair from living humans in North America could be used to successfully predict the sex of individuals who lived more than 500 years ago in Peru. This work paves the way for broader use of non-skeletal sex determination methods within the field of archaeology, filling a significant gap. Multi-elemental analysis of hair from living humans allows for accurate, non-skeletal sex determination of 500 year-old mummified individuals.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret MacConnachie
- Queen's University, Department of Chemistry, 90 Bader Lane, Kingston, ON K7L 2S8, Canada
| | - Sarah Lu
- Queen's University, Department of Chemistry, 90 Bader Lane, Kingston, ON K7L 2S8, Canada
| | - Yangyang Wang
- Queen's University, Department of Chemistry, 90 Bader Lane, Kingston, ON K7L 2S8, Canada
| | - Jocelyn Williams
- Trent University, Department of Anthropology, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada
| | - Diane Beauchemin
- Queen's University, Department of Chemistry, 90 Bader Lane, Kingston, ON K7L 2S8, Canada
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Berens AS, Diem J, Stauber C, Dai D, Foster S, Rothenberg R. The use of gamma-survey measurements to better understand radon potential in urban areas. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 607-608:888-899. [PMID: 28711851 PMCID: PMC5613979 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.07.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2017] [Revised: 06/22/2017] [Accepted: 07/03/2017] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Accounting for as much as 14% of all lung cancers worldwide, cumulative radon progeny exposure is the leading cause of lung cancer among never-smokers both internationally and in the United States. To understand the risk of radon progeny exposure, studies have mapped radon potential using aircraft-based measurements of gamma emissions. However, these efforts are hampered in urban areas where the built environment obstructs aerial data collection. To address part of this limitation, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of using in situ gamma readings (taken with a scintillation probe attached to a ratemeter) to assess radon potential in an urban environment: DeKalb County, part of the Atlanta metropolitan area, Georgia, USA. After taking gamma measurements at 402 survey sites, empirical Bayesian kriging was used to create a continuous surface of predicted gamma readings for the county. We paired these predicted gamma readings with indoor radon concentration data from 1351 residential locations. Statistical tests showed the interpolated gamma values were significantly but weakly positively related with indoor radon concentrations, though this relationship is decreasingly informative at finer geographic scales. Geology, gamma readings, and indoor radon were interrelated, with granitic gneiss generally having the highest gamma readings and highest radon concentrations and ultramafic rock having the lowest of each. Our findings indicate the highest geogenic radon potential may exists in the relatively undeveloped southeastern part of the county. It is possible that in situ gamma, in concert with other variables, could offer an alternative to aerial radioactivity measurements when determining radon potential, though future work will be needed to address this project's limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S Berens
- Department of Geosciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States; Geospatial Research, Analysis, and Services Program (GRASP), Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Chamblee, GA, United States.
| | - Jeremy Diem
- Department of Geosciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Christine Stauber
- School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Dajun Dai
- Department of Geosciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Stephanie Foster
- Geospatial Research, Analysis, and Services Program (GRASP), Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Chamblee, GA, United States
| | - Richard Rothenberg
- School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States
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Elemental hair analysis: A review of procedures and applications. Anal Chim Acta 2017; 992:1-23. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2017.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2017] [Revised: 09/06/2017] [Accepted: 09/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Malátová I, Bečková V, Kotík L. Urinary excretion of uranium in adult inhabitants of the Czech Republic. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2016; 152:92-96. [PMID: 26650830 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2015.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2015] [Revised: 11/03/2015] [Accepted: 11/15/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The main aim of this study was to determine and evaluate urinary excretion of uranium in the general public of the Czech Republic. This value should serve as a baseline for distinguishing possible increase in uranium content in population living near legacy sites of mining and processing uranium ores and also to help to distinguish the proportion of the uranium content in urine among uranium miners resulting from inhaled dust. The geometric mean of the uranium concentration in urine of 74 inhabitants of the Czech Republic was 0.091 mBq/L (7.4 ng/L) with the 95% confidence interval 0.071-0.12 mBq/L (5.7-9.6 ng/L) respectively. The geometric mean of the daily excretion was 0.15 mBq/d (12.4 ng/d) with the 95% confidence interval 0.12-0.20 mBq/d (9.5-16.1 ng/d) respectively. Despite the legacy of uranium mines and plants processing uranium ore in the Czech Republic, the levels of uranium in urine and therefore, also human body content of uranium, is similar to other countries, esp. Germany, Slovenia and USA. Significant difference in the daily urinary excretion of uranium was found between individuals using public supply and private water wells as a source of drinking water. Age dependence of daily urinary excretion of uranium was not found. Mean values and their range are comparable to other countries, esp. Germany, Slovenia and USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irena Malátová
- National Radiation Protection Institute, Bartoškova 28, 142 00 Praha 4, Czech Republic.
| | - Věra Bečková
- National Radiation Protection Institute, Bartoškova 28, 142 00 Praha 4, Czech Republic
| | - Lukáš Kotík
- National Radiation Protection Institute, Bartoškova 28, 142 00 Praha 4, Czech Republic
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Unexpected lack of deleterious effects of uranium on physiological systems following a chronic oral intake in adult rat. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2014; 2014:181989. [PMID: 24693537 PMCID: PMC3944956 DOI: 10.1155/2014/181989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2013] [Revised: 12/18/2013] [Accepted: 12/18/2013] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Uranium level in drinking water is usually in the range of microgram-per-liter, but this value may be as much as 100 to 1000 times higher in some areas, which may raise question about the health consequences for human populations living in these areas. Our purpose was to improve knowledge of chemical effects of uranium following chronic ingestion. Experiments were performed on rats contaminated for 9 months via drinking water containing depleted uranium (0.2, 2, 5, 10, 20, 40, or 120 mg/L). Blood biochemical and hematological indicators were measured and several different types of investigations (molecular, functional, and structural) were conducted in organs (intestine, liver, kidneys, hematopoietic cells, and brain). The specific sensitivity of the organs to uranium was deduced from nondeleterious biological effects, with the following thresholds (in mg/L): 0.2 for brain, >2 for liver, >10 for kidneys, and >20 for intestine, indicating a NOAEL (No-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level) threshold for uranium superior to 120 m g/L. Based on the chemical uranium toxicity, the tolerable daily intake calculation yields a guideline value for humans of 1350 μg/L. This value was higher than the WHO value of 30 μg/L, indicating that this WHO guideline for uranium content in drinking water is very protective and might be reconsidered.
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Lestaevel P, Airault F, Racine R, Bensoussan H, Dhieux B, Delissen O, Manens L, Aigueperse J, Voisin P, Souidi M. Influence of environmental enrichment and depleted uranium on behaviour, cholesterol and acetylcholine in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. J Mol Neurosci 2013; 53:469-79. [PMID: 23749703 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-013-0038-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2013] [Accepted: 05/27/2013] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is associated with genetic risk factors, of which the apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is the most prevalent, and is affected by environmental factors that include education early in life and exposure to metals. The industrial and military use of depleted uranium (DU) resulted in an increase of its deposition in some areas and led to a possible environmental factor. The present study aims to ascertain the effects on the behaviour and the metabolism of cholesterol and acetylcholine of ApoE-/- mice exposed to enriched environment (EE) and exposed to DU (20 mg/L) for 14 weeks. Here we show that ApoE-/- mice were unaffected by the EE and their learning and memory were similar to those of the non-enriched ApoE-/- mice. ApoE-/- mice showed a significant decrease in total (-16 %) and free (-16 %) cholesterol in the entorhinal cortex in comparison to control wild-type mice. Whatever the housing conditions, the exposure to DU of ApoE-/- mice impaired working memory, but had no effect on anxiety-like behaviour, in comparison to control ApoE-/- mice. The exposure of ApoE-/- mice to DU also induced a trend toward higher total cholesterol content in the cerebral cortex (+15 %) compared to control ApoE-/- mice. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that enriched environment does not ameliorate neurobehaviour in ApoE-/- mice and that ApoE mutation induced specific effects on the brain cholesterol. These findings also suggested that DU exposure could modify the pathology in this ApoE model, with no influence of housing conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Lestaevel
- Laboratoire de Radiotoxicologie Expérimentale (LRTOX), Service de Radiobiologie et d'Epidémiologie (SRBE), Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), BP no° 17, 92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses CEDEX and BP no° 166, 26702, Pierrelatte CEDEX, France,
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Abstract
The use of human scalp hair as a bioindicator of occupational or environmental exposure has been the subject of some debate over the years. One problem is how to distinguish internal contamination from external contamination. In this study, possibility that elevated levels of natural uranium in human hair are partly due to the exogenously bound uranium from uranium-rich household water was tested. Hair samples from six adult volunteers were cut and then exposed externally to uranium by using washing water with highly elevated levels of natural uranium. After that, and before making the analysis using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), the samples were washed using two commonly used washing procedures in order to remove external contamination. No quantitative information was gained in the tests, but it was shown that the use of uranium-rich water when washing hair affects the uranium concentration in hair. Although the samples were cleaned according to widely used washing procedures before the analysis, the uranium concentrations in hair were about three orders of magnitude higher after the tests. The possibility of external contamination should be kept in mind, especially when considering hair as an excretion pathway for estimating internal dose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maarit Muikku
- STUK-Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, Helsinki, Finland.
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Muikku M, Puhakainen M, Heikkinen T, Ilus T. The mean concentration of uranium in drinking water, urine, and hair of the occupationally unexposed Finnish working population. HEALTH PHYSICS 2009; 96:646-654. [PMID: 19430217 DOI: 10.1097/01.hp.0000345026.98668.c4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Uranium concentrations in the household water, urine, and hair of the occupationally unexposed Finnish working population were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The age of the randomly selected participants ranged from 18 to 66 y. The mean concentrations of uranium in water, urine, and hair were 1.25 microg L(-1), 0.016 microg L(-1), and 0.216 microg g(-1), respectively. The mean uranium concentration in hair of the Finnish working population was from 3- to 15-fold higher than the values reported in the literature, while the mean uranium concentration in urine was similar to those measured elsewhere in Europe. The observed large variation in the uranium concentrations in hair and urine can be explained by the variation in the uranium concentration in drinking water. Exceptionally high concentrations have been measured in private drilled wells in the granite areas of Southern Finland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maarit Muikku
- STUK-Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, P.O. Box 14, Helsinki FIN-00881, Finland.
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Abstract
PURPOSE Radon is natural radioactive noble gas that can be found in soil, water, outdoor and indoor air. Exposure to radon accounts for more that 50% of the annual effective dose of natural radioactivity. The purpose of the current review is to summarize recent literature and evaluate the weight of evidence on the adverse health effects of radon. CONCLUSIONS Radon is an established human lung carcinogen based on human epidemiological data supported by experimental evidence of mutagenesis studies in cell culture and laboratory animals. Extrapolation from cohort studies on miners suggested that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer death after tobacco smoke. The majority of studies on the relationship between radon and other types of cancers showed weak or no association. Low levels of radon can be found in drinking water; however, radon released during water usage adds small quantities to indoor radon concentration. Studies showed that the risk of stomach cancer and other gastrointestinal malignancies from radon in drinking water is small. Studies of the genetic and cytogenetic effects of indoor radon yielded equivocal results; while radon exposure in miners induces gene mutations and chromosomal aberrations. Numerous in vitro cytogenetic studies demonstrated that radon induces different types of genetic and cytogenetic damage that is likely to play a role in radon lung carcinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mustafa Al-Zoughool
- McLaughlin Center for Population Health Risk Assessment, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
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