Increase in accumulation of strontium-90 in the maternal skeleton during pregnancy and lactation: analysis of the Techa River data.

Tolstykh, Evgenia; Shagina, Natalia; Degteva, Marina

The unique contamination of the Techa River (Southern Urals, Russia) in the 1950s by long-lived Sr allows investigation of the accumulation of bone-seeking elements in humans. This study is based on information compiled at the Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine (Chelyabinsk, Russia) over a long period of time. It includes the results of in vivo measurements of Sr-body burden with a whole body counter (WBC), data on personal medical examinations and residence and family histories. Data on 185 women from two Techa riverside villages Muslyumovo and Brodokalmak were selected. The settlements differ in terms of Sr diet intake (higher in Muslyumovo than in Brodokalmak) and ethnicity (residents were mainly Slavs in Brodokalmak and Turkic in Muslyumovo). Results of a total of 555 WBC measurements performed in 1974-1997 were available for the women studied; maximum measured values reached 40 kBq/body. The women from each settlement were subdivided into three groups according to their childbearing history: pregnancy and lactation occurred (1) during the period of maximal Sr intake (1950-1951); (2) after the period of maximal intake and (3) before this period or women who were childless. An increase was found in accumulation of Sr in maternal skeleton during pregnancy and lactation (group 1) by a factor of 1.5-2 in comparison with non-pregnant, non-lactating women. This result was found in both Muslyumovo and Brodokalmak samples. An increase in accumulation of toxic elements in pregnant/lactating women is associated with increased radiation/toxic doses and risk for the women's health.

STRONTIUM; ALKALINE earth metals; STILLBIRTH; HUMAN fertility; REPRODUCTION

Radiation & Environmental Biophysics, 2014, Vol 53, Issue 3, p551

0301-634X

Academic Journal

10.1007/s00411-014-0548-3