[ RadSafe ] teratogenic sperm is a health physics issue

[James Salsman]

Rick Orthen wrote:

>... It appears that this
> list is now populated by less than a half-dozen people who are obsessed with
> anything other than radiation protection or health physics.  If you have
> questions about wind farms, teratogenic sperm, mythology and such, hang
> around....

"DU exposure ... is both neoplastically transforming and genotoxic....
DU can generate oxidative DNA damage....  Experiments were conducted
under conditions in which chemical generation of hydroxyl radicals was
calculated to exceed the radiolytic generation by one million-fold.
The data showed that markers of oxidative DNA base damage, thymine
glycol and 8-deoxyguanosine could be induced from DU-catalyzed
reactions of hydrogen peroxide and ascorbate.... DU can induce
carcinogenic lesions, e.g. oxidative DNA lesions...." -- A.C. Miller,
et al., U.S. Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute --
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=12121782

"Overall, the risk of any malformation among pregnancies reported
by men was 50% higher in Gulf War Veterans (GWV) compared with
Non-GWVs" -- http://ije.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/full/33/1/74

"Infants conceived postwar to male GWVs had significantly higher
prevalence of tricuspid valve insufficicieny (relative risk [RR],
2.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-6.6; p = 0.039) and aortic
valve stenosis (RR, 6.0; 95% CI, 1.2-31.0; p = 0.026) compared to
infants conceived postwar to nondeployed veteran males. Among infants
of male GWVs, aortic valve stenosis (RR, 163; 95% CI, 0.09-294; p
= 0.011) and renal agenesis or hypoplasia (RR, 16.3; 95% CI, 0.09-294;
p = 0.011) were significantly higher among infants conceived postwar
than prewar."
-- 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12854660&dopt=Abstract

The following quotes and citations are from "A review of the effects
of uranium and depleted uranium exposure on reproduction and fetal
development," in Toxicology and Industrial Health, vol. 17, pp.
180-191 (2001), which is temporarily at:
   http://www.bovik.org/du/reproduction-review-2001.pdf

"In rats, there is strong evidence of DU accumulation in tissues
including testes, bone, kidneys, and brain." Pellmar, T.C., Fuciarelli,
A.F., Ejnik, J.W., Hamilton, M., Hogan, J., Strocko, S., Edmond,
C., Mottaz, H.M. and Landauer, M.R. "Distribution of uranium in
rats implanted with depleted uranium pellets," Toxicol Sci, vol.
49, pp. 29-39 (1999.)

"Degenerative changes in the testes resulting in aspermia in the
testes and epididymis ... apparently a result of uranyl nitrate"
Maynard, E.A., Downs, W.L. and Hodge, H.C., "Oral toxicity of uranium
compounds," in Voegtlin, C. and Hodge, H.C., editors, Pharmacology
and Toxicology of Uranium, Volume 3 (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1953),
pp. 1221-1369.

"uranium exposure causes morphologic changes in the rat testes
possibly as the result of a uranium-induced autoimmune response....
Average testes weight was significantly (P0.05) decreased in rats
exposed to uranyl nitrate.... Titers of testicular autoantibodies
were described as fairly high for rats with chronic exposure to
uranium and the authors relate this finding to the possibility that
the observed testicular changes are an autoimmune response to protein
confirmation changes as a result of uranium-protein interactions.
Four other references are cited ... as evidence of an interaction
between uranium and the testes or thyroid but are not reviewed
here." Malenchenko, A.F., Barkun, N.A. and Guseva, G.F., "Effect
of uranium on the induction and course of experimental autoimmune
orchitis and thyroiditis," J Hyg Epidemiol Microbiol Immunol, vol.
22, pp. 268-277 (1978.)

"The number of female mice impregnated successfully was significantly
reduced at all levels of uranium exposure as compared with negative
controls." Hu, Q. and Zhu, S., "Induction of chromosomal aberrations
in male mouse germ cells by uranyl fluoride containing enriched
uranium," Mutat Res, vol. 244, pp. 209-214 (1990.)

Testicular injection with ... uranyl fluoride ... resulted in a
dose-dependent increase in chromosomal aberrations (i.e., DNA
breakage, SCEs) in spermatogonia, primary spermatocytes, and mature
sperm of adult mice." Zhu, S.P., Hu, Q.Y. and Lun, M.Y., "Studies
on reproductive toxicity induced by enriched uranium," Zhonghua Yu
Fang Yi Xue Za Zhi, vol. 28, pp. 219-222 (1994.)

"existing data indicate that implanted DU translocates to the rodent
testes and ovary, the placenta, and fetus.... DU has been shown to
be genotoxic...." Benson, K.A., Evaluation of the health risks of
embedded depleted uranium (DU) shrapnel on pregnancy and offspring
development, Annual Report No. 19981118065 (October 1998.)

For those who still adhere to the quaint belief that uranium
poisoning is a risk only to the kidneys, I recommend this review of
the uranium toxicity literature by Dr. Glen Lawrence of Long Island
University's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry:
   http://myweb.brooklyn.liu.edu/lawrence/duproject/litsum3.pdf

Sincerely,
James Salsman