ScienceDaily (Sep. 19, 2006) — The detonation of a suitcase-sized nuclear bomb by a terrorist in a major city would spread toxic material over a wide area exposing humans to various types of radioactive elements. Currently, there are no effective methods to sequester and remove radionuclides from humans in the event of a disaster such as this.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientist Tatiana Levitskaia is investigating a unique approach based on a readily available biomaterial that might be used to reduce an individual's radiation dose. Levitskaia reported on the technology at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society.

Chitosan is a natural and safe material found to be an effective chelator for a wide range of nuclides. Chitosan is obtained from chitin and found in the exoskeletons of many invertebrates such as crabs and prawns. It's one of the most abundant, readily available and renewable natural biopolymers, second only to cellulose.

Some chitosan materials can be chemically modified to enhance their affinity to particular radionuclides. By binding to radionuclides, scientists speculate that chitosan may suppress deposition in bones and critical organs like the liver and kidney, and accelerate removal from the body.

Levitskaia's research is directed toward finding a natural chelator like chitosan that can safely and effectively rid the body of diverse radionuclides such as actinides, cobalt, strontium, and radium. Currently, Levitskaia's investigation involves the removal of cobalt from living tissues in laboratory rats. Results are expected this fall.

Related Stories

Project Bioshield: Researchers To Develop Anti-Radiation Treatments (Sep. 26, 2006) — The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has issued five awards totaling $4 million to fund the development of products ...  > read more

Gene Therapy Protects Mice From The Effects Of Whole-body Irradiation (June 8, 2006) — University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers have successfully protected mice against the damaging effects that radiation can have on bone marrow using gene therapy. Based on these ...  > read more

Children Would Need Different Medical Care In Wake Of Dirty Bomb (Oct. 31, 2007) — If terrorists were to attack with a dirty bomb, medical authorities should be prepared to treat children differently than adults because their developing bodies would absorb and respond to the ...  > read more

Chernobyl Fallout? Plutonium Found In Swedish Soil (Oct. 2, 2008) — More than 20 years later, researchers from Case Western Reserve University traveled to Sweden and Poland to gain insight into the downward migration of Chernobyl-derived radionuclides in the soil. ...  > read more

Search ScienceDaily

Flying and Radiation Risk