The feasibility, performance, and radiation safety of an experimental generator were evaluated to efficiently produce
Pb intended for radiopharmaceuticals.
The generator consisted of a flask with a ...removable cap containing a source of
Ra or
Th absorbed on quartz wool. Gaseous
Rn emanated from the decaying source, which subsequently decayed to
Pb, which was adsorbed on the flask's interior surface. The
Pb was collected by washing the flask with 0.5-1 mL of 0.1 M HCl.
The generator collector flask trapped 62%-68% of the
Pb, of which more than 87% (tested up to 26 MBq) could be harvested. The obtained
Pb solution had a high purity (>99.98%) and could be used for the preparation of radioconjugates with more than 97% radiochemical purity. Future designs of the generator should aim to further reduce the risk of radon and γ-energy exposure to operators.
The presented technology is a promising method for easy and convenient
Pb production.
In European wetlands, at least 40 bird species are exposed to the risk of lead poisoning caused by ingestion of spent lead gunshot. Adopting a methodology developed in North America, we estimated ...that about 700,000 individuals of 16 waterbird species die annually in the European Union (EU) (6.1% of the wintering population) and one million in whole Europe (7.0%) due to acute effects of lead poisoning. Furthermore, threefold more birds suffer sub-lethal effects. We assessed the economic loss due to this lead-induced mortality of these 16 species by calculating the costs of replacing lethally poisoned wild birds by releasing captive-bred ones. We assessed the cost of buying captive-bred waterbirds for release from market surveys and calculated how many captive-bred birds would have to be released to compensate for the loss, taking into account the high mortality rate of captive birds (72.7%) in the months following release into the wild. Following this approach, the annual cost of waterbird mortality induced by lead shot ingestion is estimated at 105 million euros per year in the EU countries and 142 million euros in the whole of Europe. An alternative method, based upon lost opportunities for hunting caused by deaths due to lead poisoning, gave similar results of 129 million euros per year in the EU countries and 185 million euros per year in the whole of Europe. For several reasons these figures should be regarded as conservative. Inclusion of deaths of species for which there were insufficient data and delayed deaths caused indirectly by lead poisoning and effects on reproduction would probably increase the estimated losses substantially. Nevertheless, our results suggest that the benefits of a restriction on the use of lead gunshot over wetlands could exceed the cost of adapting to non-lead ammunition.
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•Waterbirds mortality due to lead shot ingestion is a relevant political issue.•New methods to assess economic cost of lead poisoning on waterbirds are proposed.•Cost estimates convert biological data into relevant information for policy.•Restocking with captive birds in Europe would cost 105–142 million euros per year.•Lost shooting opportunities imply an annual GVA reduction of 129–185 million euros.
LIA and Linox
Introduction
Medtronic's Lead Integrity Alert (LIA) software algorithm is useful for detecting abnormal parameters across various ICD‐lead families. However, its utility in the ...assessment of the Biotronik Linox™ family of high‐voltage (HV) leads is unknown.
Methods
We conducted a retrospective cohort study to assess the performance of the LIA algorithm to detect abnormalities and lead failure in Linox ICD‐leads. All LIA‐enabled Medtronic devices connected to an active Linox lead were included. The alerts were adjudicated by 2 blinded electrophysiologists and correlated with clinical data.
Results
Between 2008 and 2012, data from 208 patients with 564 patient‐years of follow‐up were available for analysis. The median follow‐up duration was 32 (IQR 21–41 months). Twenty‐one LIA triggers were noted in 20 different patients. The median delay until a positive LIA was 32 months (IQR 21–41 months) postimplant with a 5‐year lead survival free from LIA of 76%. Ninety‐five percent (19/20) LIA alerts were true lead failures. The most common LIA triggers were short V–V intervals (85%) and nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (85%). Abrupt changes of the ICD‐lead impedance occurred in 5/20 triggers. Inappropriate ICD‐shocks were strongly associated with a positive LIA (30% vs. 7.4%; P = 0.006). Of the explanted Linox leads 53% had visible abnormalities. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value for lead failure in the presence of a LIA trigger were 87%, 99.5%, and 95.2%, respectively.
Conclusions
A positive LIA trigger in Biotronik Linox ICD‐leads is highly predictive of lead failure. LIA is useful in ongoing surveillance of lead performance.
•0.90(BNT-ST)-0.10BNN ceramic possesses a desired Wrec of 4.1 J/cm3 and η of 83.15% at 250 kV/cm.•Wrec and η are both insensitive to thermal stimulus over 25–120 °C.•0.90(BNT-ST)-0.10BNN ceramic ...exhibits a fast discharge speed (t0.9 = 62.4 ns).•The improved properties are explained by first order reversal curve distribution.
The electrical and electronic devices become more and more integrated and miniaturized. It is necessary to develop high performance lead-free energy storage ceramics. In this work, new relaxor ferroelectric (1-x)(0.76Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-0.24SrTiO3)-xBi(Ni2/3Nb1/3)O3 ceramics were prepared by the traditional solid-state reaction method. Particularly, the 0.90(BNT-ST)-0.10BNN ceramic exhibits the excellent recoverable energy storage density (Wrec = 4.1 J/cm3) and efficiency (η = 83.15%) under a low electric field (250 kV/cm). The 0.90(BNT-ST)-0.10BNN ceramic has excellent stability between 25 °C and 120 °C. In addition, an ultrahigh power density of 49.8 WM/cm3 and a fast charge-discharge rate (t0.9 = 62.4 ns) can be obtained simultaneously. These properties indubitably reflect that the (1-x)(BNT-ST)-xBNN ceramics have a great potential for the applications of high energy storage capacitors.
The aim of this study was to investigate the beneficial effects of zinc (Zn) in preventing lead (Pb)-induced reproductive toxicity in Wistar rats. The rats were divided into four groups, namely, ...control group, Pb group, Zn group, and Pb + Zn group. Animals were exposed to Pb (819 mg of Pb/L) or Zn (71 mg of Zn/L) or both through drinking water for 65 days. Rats exposed to Pb showed decreased weights of testes and accessory sex organs. Significant decrease in the testicular daily sperm production, epididymal sperm count, motility, viability, and number of hypoosmotic tail coiled sperm was observed in Pb-exposed rats. Testicular 3β- and 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity levels and circulatory testosterone levels were also decreased significantly in Pb-exposed rats. A significant increase in the lipid peroxidation products with a significant decrease in the activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase were observed in the testes and epididymis of Pb-exposed rats. Moreover, the testicular architecture showed lumens devoid of sperm in Pb-exposed rats. Supplementation of Zn mitigated Pb-induced oxidative stress and restored the spermatogenesis and steroidogenesis in Pb-exposed rats. In conclusion, cotreatment of Zn is effective for recovering suppressed spermatogenesis, steroidogenesis, elevated oxidative status, and histological damage in the testis of rats treated with Pb.
Use of alternative medications and herbal remedies is widespread in the United States and across the globe. These traditional medications can be contaminated with toxic metals. Despite several case ...reports of poisoning from such contamination, the epidemiological data are still limited.
To report on a cluster of lead and mercury toxicity cases in 2011 among a community of adherents of traditional medical practice of Ayurveda.
Adherents of Ayurveda were offered heavy metals screening following the identification of the index case.
Forty-six of 115 participants (40%) had elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) of 10 μg/dl or above, with 9.6% of BLLs at or above 50 μg/dl.
This is the largest cluster of lead and mercury toxicity following use of Ayurvedic supplements described in the literature in the US. Contamination of herbal products is a public health issue of global significance. There are few regulations addressing contamination of "natural" products or supplements.
In low-income countries, a widespread but poorly studied type of cottage industry consists of melting scrap metal for making cookware. We assessed the exposure to lead (Pb) among artisanal workers, ...and their families, involved in manufacturing cookware from scrap metal. In a cross-sectional survey, we compared artisanal cookware manufacturing foundries with carpentry workshops (negative controls) and car battery repair workshops (positive controls), all located in residential areas, in Lubumbashi (DR Congo). We collected surface dust in the workspaces, and blood and urine samples among workers, as well as residents living in the cookware workshops. Trace elements were quantified in the samples by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). In surface dust, median Pb concentrations were higher in cookware foundries (347 mg/kg) than in carpentries (234 mg/kg) but lower than in battery repair workshops (22,000 mg/kg). In workers making the cookware (n = 24), geometric mean (GM) Pb blood cencentration was 118 μg/L interquartile range (IQR) 78.4–204, i.e. nearly twice as high as among carpenters 60.2 μg/L (44.4–84.7), n = 33, and half the concentration of battery repair workers 255 μg/L (197–362), n = 23. Resident children from the cookware foundries, had higher urinary Pb 6.2 μg/g creatinine (2.3–19.3), n = 6 than adults 2.3 (2.2–2.5), n = 3. Our investigation confirms the high Pb hazard linked to car battery repair and reveals a high exposure to Pb among artisanal cookware manufacturers and their families, especially children, in residential areas of a city in a low-income country.
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•Smelting scrap metal in artisanal furnaces to make cookware is common in Africa.•Blood and urinary metals were measured in workers and residents of cookware workshops.•Values were compared to those of workers in carpentry and battery repair workshops.•High exposure to lead in cookware manufacturing workshops, including among children.•Artisanal recycling of scrap metal represents a substantial public health threat.
Recently, there are significant progresses in the growth of organic-inorganic lead halide perovskite single crystals, however, due to their susceptible nucleation and growth mechanisms and solvent ...requirements, the efficient and generalized growth for these single crystals is still challenging. Here we report the work towards this target with a polymer-controlled nucleation process for the highly efficient growth of large-size high-quality simple ternary, mixed-cations and mixed-halide perovskite single crystals. Among them, the carrier lifetime of FAPbBr
single crystals is largely improved to 10199 ns. Mixed MA/FAPbBr
single crystals are synthesized. The crucial point in this process is suggested to be an appropriate coordinative interaction between polymer oxygen groups and Pb
, greatly decreasing the nuclei concentrations by as much as 4 orders of magnitudes. This polymer-controlled route would help optimizing the solution-based OIHPs crystal growth and promoting applications of perovskite single crystals.
Lead excretion in milk of accidentally exposed dairy cattle Bischoff, Karyn; Higgins, William; Thompson, Belinda ...
Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment,
2014, Letnik:
31, Številka:
5
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Lead (Pb) exposure in dairy cattle is associated with economic losses due to mortality and treatment costs, but with production animals there is also risk to the human food chain. The first objective ...of this study was to quantify the Pb concentration in milk from Pb-exposed cattle. The second objective was to correlate blood and milk Pb concentrations from individual cows. The third objective was long-term monitoring to determine the duration of milk contamination after exposure ceased. A dairy herd of more than 100 cows was accidentally exposed to Pb-contaminated feed. Milk and blood were collected for Pb analysis. Serial collection of milk samples continued for 2.5 years. The initial concentration of Pb in bulk tank milk was 0.0999 mg l –¹. The highest milk Pb concentration from an individual cow was 0.4657 mg l –¹ and the highest blood Pb concentration was 1.216 mg l –¹. One milk sample collected at the end of the study (day 922) contained 0.0117 mg Pb l –¹ of Pb. The calculated relationship between milk (y) and blood (x) Pb concentration was ln(y) = 3.4(x) – 2.21 (R ² = 0.98).
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Aims
Exposure to lead and cadmium has been associated with type 2 diabetes, but the results are largely inconsistent, and little is known about their joint effect. We aimed to investigate the ...associations of lead and cadmium co‐exposure with fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and type 2 diabetes.
Materials and Methods
The study included 5732 participants aged ≥18 years from 16 communities in East China. Blood levels of lead and cadmium were determined using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were performed to evaluate the associations of lead and cadmium alone or in combination with FPG and diabetes.
Results
The median (interquartile range) values of blood lead and cadmium were 40.0 (26.8–57.9) and 1.70 (0.56–3.60) μg/L, respectively. After adjustment for potential confounders, blood lead levels were positively associated with FPG (difference comparing extreme lead quartiles = 0.11 95% CI: 0.03, 0.20 mmol/L) and prevalent diabetes (odds ratio OR = 1.35 95% CI: 1.03, 1.78). The association between lead and diabetes was observed among participants with high cadmium, but not among those with low cadmium (P for interaction = 0.03). In the joint analysis, compared with participants with low levels of blood lead and cadmium, participants with high levels of two metals had a 0.16 (95% CI: 0.07, 0.25) mmol/L increase in FPG and a 51% (OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.15, 1.99) increase in odds of diabetes.
Conclusions
Our findings suggest that lead and cadmium co‐exposure is significantly associated with elevated FPG and type 2 diabetes in the general population.
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