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Radiation Protection Dosimetry Advance Access published online on January 11, 2008
Radiation Protection Dosimetry, doi:10.1093/rpd/ncm489
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© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

EVALUATION OF URANIUM INCORPORATION FROM CONTAMINATED AREAS USING TEETH AS BIOINDICATORS—A CASE STUDY

G. R. Prado1,2, J. D. T. Arruda-Neto2,3,*, J. E. S. Sarkis4, L. P. Geraldo5, R. M. L. Müller4, F. Garcia1, M. C. Bittencourt-Oliveira6, M. V. Manso Guevara7, G. Rodrigues2, J. Mesa8 and T. E. Rodrigues2

1 Santa Cruz State University, UESC, Ilhéus, BA, Brazil
2 Physics Institute, University of São Paulo, Rua do Matão, Travessa R, 187, CEP 05508-090, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, Brazil
3 University of Santo Amaro (UNISA), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
4 Institute for Energy and Nuclear Research, IPEN/CNEN-SP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
5 Catholic University of Santos/UNISANTOS, Santos, SP, Brazil
6 School of Agriculture Luiz of Queiroz, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil
7 Instituto Superior de Tecnologías y Ciencias Aplicadas/Instec, Plaza, Havana, Cuba
8 UNESP, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, SP, Brazil

* Corresponding author: arruda{at}if.usp.br; arruda{at}usp.br

Received September 13, 2007, amended October 28, 2007, accepted November 8, 2007

The Southwest region of the Bahia state in Brazil hosts the largest uranium reserve of the country (100 kton in uranium, only), plus the cities of Caetité, Lagoa Real and Igaporã. In this work, aim was at the investigation of uranium burdens on residents of these cities by using teeth as bioindicators, as a contribution for possible radiation protection measures. Thus, a total of 41 human teeth were collected, plus 50 from an allegedly uranium free area (the control region). Concentrations of uranium in teeth from residents of 5- to 87-y old were determined by means of a high-resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). The highest uranium concentration in teeth was measured from samples belonging to residents of Caetité (median equal to 16 ppb). Assuming that the uranium concentrations in teeth and bones are similar within 10–20% (for children and young adults), it concluded that uranium body levels in residents of Caetité are at least one order of magnitude higher than the worldwide average. This finding led to conclude that daily ingestion of uranium, from food and water, is equally high.


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