Disease relevance of polonium

• Lung cancers have been induced in 9 to 53 percent of hamsters given multiple intratracheal instillations of polonium-210 in amounts yielding lifetime exposures of 15 to 300 rads to the lungs [1].
• The findings from this study, the biologic activity of snuff in animal models, and the epidemiologic studies on snuff use and oral cancer strongly suggest the need for reduction of carcinogens and especially of nitrosamines and polonium-210 in snuff [2].
• Several cell lines designated HLAC were derived from primary lung carcinomas induced in Syrian hamsters by polonium-210 or benzo[a]pyrene [3].
• Kidney disease in beagles injected with polonium-210 [4].
• PURPOSE: To reduce retention and toxicity of the alpha particle emitter polonium-210 in rats by newly developed chelating agents [5].

High impact information on polonium

• Cigarette smokers have previously been estimated to receive 20 rads to areas of the bronchial epithelium from deposited polonium-210 [1].
• Lung cancer induced in hamsters by low doses of alpha radiation from polonium-210 [1].
• The five most popular U.S. snuff brands were analyzed for alkaloids, volatile and tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines (TSNA), benzo[a]pyrene (CAS: 50-32-8), and polonium-210 [2].
• PURPOSE: Northern peoples can receive elevated radiation doses (1- 10 mSv/y) from transfer of polonium-210 (210Po) through the lichen-caribou-human food chain [6].
• When the appropriate binding sites are occupied by lead or cadmium, enhanced natural excretion of polonium-210 occurs [7].

Chemical compound and disease context of polonium

• Composition of tobaccos from countries with high and low incidences of lung cancer. I. Selenium, polonium-210, Alternaria, tar, and nicotine [8].

Biological context of polonium

• CONCLUSIONS: Polonium-210 is bound in vivo to binding sites on various biomolecules, among them erythrocytic enzymes and MT [7].
• RESULTS: The present study revealed different tissue distributions of polonium-210 in the rats pre-exposed to lead or cadmium ions when compared with that in 210Po only controls [7].
• Radiological health implications of lead-210 and polonium-210 accumulations in LPG refineries [9].

Anatomical context of polonium

• Clearance of polonium-210-enriched cigarette smoke from the rat trachea and lung [10].
• Polonium-210 measurements in human semen [11].
• In order to accomplish this, a safe and effective method for determining the radioactivity of polonium-210, an alpha emitter, in the feces was developed [12].

Associations of polonium with other chemical compounds

• TASTRAK spectroscopy of polonium-210 alpha-particle activity at bone surfaces: evidence for a concentrated surface deposit less than 3 microns deep [13].
• PURPOSE: Alpha-radiation from polonium-210 ((210)Po) can elevate background radiation dose by an order of magnitude in people consuming large quantities of meat and seafood, particularly caribou and reindeer [14].
• The excretion of polonium-210 was studied by giving male Sprague-Dawley rats 210Po (3.33 x 10(7) cpm/kg, intraperitoneal); 1 h later they were given either 5% sodium bicarbonate, N-(2,3-dimercaptopropyl)phthalamidic acid (DMPA) or meso-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) (0.20 mmol/kg, subcutaneous) [12].

Gene context of polonium

• Binding of polonium-210 to liver metallothionein [15].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of polonium

• Deposition and localization of polonium-210 intratracheally instilled in the hamster lung as determined by autoradiography of freeze-dried sections [16].

References