Depleted Uranium’s Effect On DNA Established

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7 April 2006

Uranium’s Effect On DNA Established

 

The use of depleted uranium in munitions and weaponry is likely to come

under intense scrutiny now that new research that found that uranium can bind

to

human DNA. The finding will likely have far-reaching implications for

returned soldiers, civilians living in what were once war-zones and people who

might

live near uranium mines or processing facilities.

Uranium - when manifested as a radioactive metal - has profound and

debilitating effects on human DNA. These radioactive effects have been well

understood for decades, but there has been considerable debate and little

agreement

concerning the possible health risks associated with low-grade uranium ore

(yellowcake) and depleted uranium.

Now however, Northern Arizona University biochemist Diane Stearns has

established that when cells are exposed to uranium, the uranium binds to DNA and

the cells acquire mutations, triggering a whole slew of protein replication

errors, some of which can lead to various cancers. Stearns' research, published

in the journals Mutagenesis and Molecular Carcinogenesis, confirms what many

have suspected for some time - that uranium can damage DNA as a heavy metal,

independently of its radioactive properties. " Essentially, if you get a heavy

metal stuck on DNA, you can get a mutation, " Stearns explained. While other

heavy metals are known to bind to DNA, Stearns and her team were the first to

identify this characteristic with uranium.

Depleted uranium - what is left over when the highly radioactive isotopes of

uranium are removed - is widely used by the military. Anti-tank weapons, tank

armor and ammunition rounds are just some of the applications. " The health

effects of uranium really haven't been studied since the Manhattan Project

(the development of the atomic bomb in the early 1940s). But now there is more

interest in the health effects of depleted uranium. People are asking

questions now, " Stearns said.

Her research may shed light on the possible connection between exposure to

depleted uranium and Gulf War Syndrome, or to increased cancers and birth

defects in the Middle East and Balkans. And closer to home, questions continue

to

be asked about environmental exposure to uranium from mine tailings; heavily

concentrated around Native American communities. " When the uranium mining

boom crashed in the '80s, there wasn't much cleanup, " Stearns said. Estimates

put the number of abandoned mines on the Navajo Nation in Arizona at more than

1,100.

Source: Northern Arizona University