Uranium Content Analysis in Other Bioassays

The variation between the results of the different studies can be due to diet, age, and geographic locations but gender and bone type are not believed to be major factors. 

FIGURE 4.20 The median concentration of uranium in human bones, calculated on 

Semen In one rather unique study, ICPMS was used to determine the level of uranium in semen samples collected from a cohort of six veterans with embedded DU shrapnel fragments and a control group (Todorov et al. 2013). The average uranium concentration in the control group samples was 2.9 pg U g sanen while the level in the veterans ranged from below the detection limit (0.8 pg g ) to 3350 pg g , which were consistent with their current uranium body burden. The potential effects, if any, on the offspring of the men with high uranium levels in semen were not reported. 

Highlights These bioassays (bones, teeth, and semen) are of limited value for routine measurements for assessment of exposure to uranium but should be viewed as novel media that may be used in special cases. The sample preparation procedures had to be customized for the bone and teeth bioassays, but once the samples were digested, the same analytical techniques deployed in the other assays conld be nsed. 

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