Health effects of depleted uranium on exposed Gulf War veterans: a 10-year follow-up.
Medical surveillance of a group of U.S. Gulf War veterans who were victims of depleted uranium (DU) "friendly fire" has been carried out since the early 1990s. Findings to date reveal a persistent elevation of urine uranium, more than 10 yr after exposure, in those veterans with retained shrapnel fragments. The excretion is presumably from ongoing mobilization of DU from fragments oxidizing in situ. Other clinical outcomes related to urine uranium measures have revealed few abnormalities. Renal function is normal despite the kidney's expected involvement as the "critical" target organ of uranium toxicity. Subtle perturbations in some proximal tubular parameters may suggest early although not clinically significant effects of uranium exposure. A mixed picture of genotoxic outcomes is also observed, including an association of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT) mutation frequency with high urine uranium levels. Findings observed in this chronically exposed cohort offer guidance for predicting future health effects in other potentially exposed populations and provide helpful data for hazard communication for future deployed personnel.
McDiarmid
Melissa A
MA
Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA. mmcdiarm@medicine.umaryland.edu
Engelhardt
Susan
S
Oliver
Marc
M
Gucer
Patricia
P
Wilson
P David
PD
Kane
Robert
R
Kabat
Michael
M
Kaup
Bruce
B
Anderson
Larry
L
Hoover
Dennis
D
Brown
Lawrence
L
Handwerger
Barry
B
Albertini
Richard J
RJ
Jacobson-Kram
David
D
Thorne
Craig D
CD
Squibb
Katherine S
KS
D000328:Adult; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations / Q000187:drug effects; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects; D008877:Middle East; D008889:Military Personnel; D012854:Sister Chromatid Exchange / Q000187:drug effects; D013997:Time Factors; D014501:Uranium / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D014728:Veterans; D014857:Warfare
D014501:Uranium