Avtor/Urednik		Črnivec, Rajko
Naslov		Zdravstvena ogroženost zaradi osiromašenega urana
Prevedeni naslov		Health risks of depleted uranium
Tip		članek
Vir		Sanitas et labor
Vol. in št.		Letnik 3, št. 1
Leto izdaje		2004
Obseg		str. 89-97
Jezik		slo
Abstrakt		Adverse health effects of depleted uranium (DU) were studied in a small group of U.S. Gulf War veterans (n = 50) exposed to DU in a "friendlyfire incident" in 1999. The subjects were evaluated by periodical medical examinations including determination of uranium levels in the urine, blood tests, urinalysis, reproductive health assessment, neurocognitive assessment and genotoxicity tests. DU-exposed Gulf War veterans with retained shrapnel fragments in their bodies excreted elevated uranium levels in the urine for eight years after their first exposure (0.018 to 39.1 microg/g creatinine in DU-exposed subjects with embedded shrapnel fragments versus 0.002 to 0.231 microg/g creatinine in DU-exposed subjects without fragments). The persistence of increased urine uranium levels is due to DU release from the retained shrapnel fragment, and indicates chronical exposure to ionizing radiation. Other laboratory investigations, including renal function tests, were within the range of normal. Neurocognitive assessment revealed only subtle differences between the subjects with high DU exposure and those with low DU exposure. The freguency of sister chromatid exchange due to mutation in peripheral lymphocytes was higher in the high DU exposure group (6.35 sister chromatid exchanges/cell vs. 5.52 sister chromatid exchanges/cell; P = 0.03). The observed health risks of exposure to DU seems to be related to mutagenic effects and mild disturbances in the CNS function. In conclusion, the results suggest that exposure to DU presents chemical rather than radiological hazards.
Izvleček		Škodljive učinke osiromašenega urana so leta 1999 proučevali na kohorti 50 ameriških veteranov zalivske vojne, ki so bili žrtve ognja lastne vojske. Opravili so klinični pregled, določili vsebnost urana v seču, opravili laboratorijske preiskave krvi, seča, ocenili reproduktivno zdravje in, neurokognitivno sfero in opravili preiskave genotoksičnosti. Veterani z ostanki municije (šrapneli) v telesu, ki je vsebovala osiromašeni uran, so še 8 let po izpostavljenosti v seču izločali povečano količino urana (območje: 0, 018 do 39,1 mikrog/g kreatinina), izpostavljeni veterani brez šrapnelov pa od 0,002 do 0,231 mikrog/g kreatinina. Povečano izločanje urana v seču gre na račun sproščanja osiromašenega urana iz šrapnelov, kar je dokaz kronične izpostavljenosti ionizirajočemu sevanju. Laboratorijski izvidi, vključno z ledvično funkcijo, so bili v referenčnih mejah. Veterani z visoko izpostavljenostjo so imeli nekoliko znižane kognitivne funkcije. Delež izmenjave hčerinskih kromatid v limfocitih periferne krvi, ki so odraz mutacije, je bil višji (6,35 na celico) pri visoko izpostavljenih, v primerjavi z nizko izpostavljenostjo osiromašenemu uranu (5,52 na celico) (p = 0,03). Odkrite zdravstvene okvare so verjetno povezane z blagimi motnjami v delovanju centralnega živčevja in mutagenega učinka osiromašenega urana. Sklep je, da gre bolj verjetno za kemični kot radiološki škodljivi učinek osiromašenega urana.
Deskriptorji		URANIUM RADIATION, IONIZING CHROMOSOME ABERRATIONS SISTER CHROMATID EXCHANGE COGNITION ADULT URINALYSIS SPERM CAPACITATION SPERM COUNT SPERM MOTILITY COHORT STUDIES VETERANS UNITED STATES