Toxicological Sciences, Vol 49, 29-39, Copyright © 1999 by Society of Toxicology
TC Pellmar, AF Fuciarelli, JW Ejnik, M Hamilton, J Hogan, S Strocko, C Emond, HM Mottaz and MR Landauer
During the Persian Gulf War, soldiers were injured with depleted uranium
(DU) fragments. To assess the potential health risks associated with
chronic exposure to DU, Sprague Dawley rats were surgically implanted with
DU pellets at 3 dose levels (low, medium and high). Biologically inert
tantalum (Ta) pellets were used as controls. At 1 day and 6, 12, and 18
months after implantation, the rats were euthanized and tissue samples
collected. Using kinetic phosphorimetry, uranium levels were measured. As
early as 1 day after pellet implantation and at all subsequent sample
times, the greatest concentrations of uranium were in the kidney and tibia.
At all time points, uranium concentrations in kidney and bone (tibia and
skull) were significantly greater in the high-dose rats than in the
Ta-control group. By 18 months post-implantation, the uranium concentration
in kidney and bone of low-dose animals was significantly different from
that in the Ta controls. Significant concentrations of uranium were
excreted in the urine throughout the 18 months of the study (224 +/- 32 ng
U/ml urine in low-dose rats and 1010 +/- 87 ng U/ml urine in high- dose
rats at 12 months). Many other tissues (muscle, spleen, liver, heart, lung,
brain, lymph nodes, and testicles) contained significant concentrations of
uranium in the implanted animals. From these results, we conclude that
kidney and bone are the primary reservoirs for uranium redistributed from
intramuscularly embedded fragments. The accumulations in brain, lymph
nodes, and testicles suggest the potential for unanticipated physiological
consequences of exposure to uranium through this route.
ARTICLES
Distribution of uranium in rats implanted with depleted uranium pellets
Radiation Pathophysiology and Toxicology Department, Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20889-5603, USA. tpellmar@nas.edu
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