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http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20060307010324data_trunc_sys.shtml)
7 April 2006
Uranium’s Effect On DNA Established
The use of depleted uranium in munitions and weaponry is likely to come
under intense scrutiny now that new research that found that uranium can bind to
human DNA. The finding will likely have far-reaching implications for
returned soldiers, civilians living in what were once war-zones and people who might
live near uranium mines or processing facilities.
Uranium - when manifested as a radioactive metal - has profound and
debilitating effects on human DNA. These radioactive effects have been well
understood for decades, but there has been considerable debate and little agreement
concerning the possible health risks associated with low-grade uranium ore
(yellowcake) and depleted uranium.
Now however, Northern Arizona University biochemist Diane Stearns has
established that when cells are exposed to uranium, the uranium binds to DNA and
the cells acquire mutations, triggering a whole slew of protein replication
errors, some of which can lead to various cancers. Stearns' research, published
in the journals Mutagenesis and Molecular Carcinogenesis, confirms what many
have suspected for some time - that uranium can damage DNA as a heavy metal,
independently of its radioactive properties. "Essentially, if you get a heavy
metal stuck on DNA, you can get a mutation," Stearns explained. While other
heavy metals are known to bind to DNA, Stearns and her team were the first to
identify this characteristic with uranium.
Depleted uranium - what is left over when the highly radioactive isotopes of
uranium are removed - is widely used by the military. Anti-tank weapons, tank
armor and ammunition rounds are just some of the applications. "The health
effects of uranium really haven't been studied since the Manhattan Project
(the development of the atomic bomb in the early 1940s). But now there is more
interest in the health effects of depleted uranium. People are asking
questions now," Stearns said.
Her research may shed light on the possible connection between exposure to
depleted uranium and Gulf War Syndrome, or to increased cancers and birth
defects in the Middle East and Balkans. And closer to home, questions continue to
be asked about environmental exposure to uranium from mine tailings; heavily
concentrated around Native American communities. "When the uranium mining
boom crashed in the '80s, there wasn't much cleanup," Stearns said. Estimates
put the number of abandoned mines on the Navajo Nation in Arizona at more than
1,100.
Source: Northern Arizona University
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