Issue 2, 2009
From the journal:

Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry

Depleted uranium analysis in blood by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry†

Todor I. Todorov,*a   Hanna Xu,b   John W. Ejnik,c   Florabel G. Mullick,b   Katherine Squibb,d   Melissa A. McDiarmidd  and  Jose A. Centenob  

* Corresponding authors

a Mineral Resources Program, United States Geological Survey, PO Box 25046, DFC, Bldg. 20, MS 964D, Denver, CO, USA
E-mail: ttodorov@usgs.gov
Fax: +1 303-236-3200
Tel: +1 303-236-1243

b Department of Environmental and Infectious Disease Sciences, Division of Biophysical Toxicology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), 6825 16 St. N.W., Washington, DC, USA

c Chemistry Department, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 800 West Main Street, Whitewater, WI, USA

d University of Maryland, School of Medicine, 405 W. Redwood Street, Baltimore, MD, USA

Abstract

In this study we report depleted uranium (DU) analysis in whole blood samples. Internal exposure to DU causes increased uranium levels as well as change in the uranium isotopic composition in blood specimen. For identification of DU exposure we used the 235U/238U ratio in blood samples, which ranges from 0.00725 for natural uranium to 0.002 for depleted uranium. Uranium quantification and isotopic composition analysis were performed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. For method validation we used eight spiked blood samples with known uranium concentrations and isotopic composition. The detection limit for quantification was determined to be 4 ng L−1uranium in whole blood. The data reproduced within 1–5% RSD and an accuracy of 1–4%. In order to achieve a 235U/238U ratio range of 0.00698–0.00752% with 99.7% confidence limit a minimum whole blood uranium concentration of 60 ng L¬1 was required. An additional 10 samples from a cohort of veterans exposed to DU in Gulf War I were analyzed with no knowledge of their medical history. The measured 235U/238U ratios in the blood samples were used to identify the presence or absence of DU exposure within this patient group.

Graphical abstract: Depleted uranium analysis in blood by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

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Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/B816058A
Article type
Paper
Submitted
15 Sep 2008
Accepted
14 Nov 2008
First published
05 Dec 2008

J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2009,24, 189-193

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Depleted uranium analysis in blood by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

T. I. Todorov, H. Xu, J. W. Ejnik, F. G. Mullick, K. Squibb, M. A. McDiarmid and J. A. Centeno, J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2009, 24, 189 DOI: 10.1039/B816058A

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