Medical effects of internal contamination with actinides: further controversy on depleted uranium and radioactive warfare.

Asaf Durakovic

doi:10.1007/s12199-016-0524-4

Abstract

The Nuclear Age began in 1945 with testing in New Mexico, USA, and the subsequent bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Regardless of attempts to limit the development of nuclear weapons, the current world arsenal has reached the staggering dimensions and presents a significant concern for the biosphere and mankind. In an explosion of a nuclear weapon, over 400 radioactive isotopes are released into the biosphere, 40 of which pose potential dangers including iodine, cesium, alkaline earths, and actinides. The immediate health effects of nuclear explosions include thermal, mechanical, and acute radiation syndrome. Long-term effects include radioactive fallout, internal contamination, and long-term genotoxicity. The current controversial concern over depleted uranium's somatic and genetic toxicity is still a subject of worldwide sustained research. The host of data generated in the past decades has demonstrated conflicting findings, with the most recent evidence showing that its genotoxicity is greater than previously considered. Of particular concern are the osteotropic properties of uranium isotopes due to their final retention in the crystals of exchangeable and nonexchangeable bone as well as their proximity to pluripotent stem cells. Depleted uranium remains an unresolved issue in both warfare and the search for alternative energy sources.

Highlights

The Nuclear Age began in 1945 with testing in New Mexico, USA, and the subsequent bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The subsequent use of a uranium bomb over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, killed over 80,000 people immediately with tens of thousands more killed by radiation exposure in the following months [2], and the plutonium bomb over the city of Nagasaki 3 days later resulted in an initial death toll of over 74,000 [3]
Uranium 234, with a half-life of 2.44 9 105 years, is least frequently cited as a most important radiation hazard, yet is 17 times more radioactive than 235U, a fact that was described over 60 years ago, but never taken as a serious radiation concern because it is difficult to detect and is dispersed during nuclear explosions with long-term effects [20]

Summary

Introduction

The Nuclear Age began in 1945 with testing in New Mexico, USA, and the subsequent bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The immediate and long-term effects of exposure to radiation and radioactivity have been extensively studied in the past several decades.

Results

Conclusion