title: Nanocolloidal amorphous silica in drinking water as an autoimmunity trigger in Finland.
abstract: Previously, a curious observation was made that indicated high iodine concentrations in the raw (ground) water of a water treatment plant wells is associated with a high prevalence of autoimmune hypothyreosis in consumers. When fractionating this water with liquid chromatography (HPLC), iodine elutes in the same fractions as humic substances. Humic substances are determined by measuring light absorbance at 280 nm from the fractions. The prevalence of autoimmune hypothyreosis in the Finnish municipalities varies approximately ten fold. In Finland, water is distributed by the municipal water works, and every municipal water work has its own water source. Water sources in the municipalities with a high prevalence of autoimmune hypothyreosis are at least at times synclinal (the water flows from the flood lake to the aquifer). This kind of flood lake is a suitable environment for the synthesis of ternary system amorphous silica/humus/iodine nanocolloid (Asi/Hu/I) particles. According to our proposed hypothesis, Asi/Hu/I nanocolloid particles in tap water are internalised by thyrocytes via the sodium iodide symporter (NIS), indicating receptor-mediated endocytosis. Receptor-mediated endocytosis is quick and efficient so that enough amorphous silica nanoparticles are internalised inside thyrocytes to denature various intracellular proteins (e.g., thyroglobulin), thereby affecting the immunoreactivity of proteins, which triggers the autoimmunity process. In this article, we present observations that support this hypothesis.
authors.affiliation: seppo.junnila@pp.inet.fi
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Junnila
mesh_terms: D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D003102:Colloids / Q000032:analysis*; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D049329:Nanostructures; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis*; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D003102:Colloids; D012822:Silicon Dioxide