title: Uranium bioassay--beyond urinalysis.
abstract: Assessment of occupational or environmental exposure to uranium compounds is largely based on urinalysis. However, urine samples generally reflect either recent exposure (within a few days after an incident) or chronic exposure and, furthermore, diurnal fluctuations in "spot samples" make it difficult to estimate the extent of the internal dose received. Thus, if urine samples are not collected within a relatively short time after accidental exposure or if the samples are not representative due to collection logistics, internal dosimetry calculations based only on urinalysis may be misleading. With the advent of efficient and sensitive methods for determination of uranium in hair and nails, some of these drawbacks may be overcome. It is proposed that with little additional cost, determination of the uranium in hair may yield better insights for internal dosimetry of uranium exposure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Analytical Chemistry, Nuclear Research Center, Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Karpas
mesh_terms: D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D009262:Nails / Q000737:chemistry*; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D018788:Radioactive Hazard Release; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014501:Uranium / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000652:urine*
chemical_list: D014501:Uranium