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Biomedical subjects

N H Harley

Publications and source records attributed to N H Harley.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Radon: is it a problem?

Radon gas is a major source of radiation exposure to the general public. Radon-222 is a product of uranium-238, present in varying concentrations in all soils. Radon enters buildings from soil, water, natural gas, and building materials. Its short-lived breakdown products, termed "radon daughters," include alpha-emitting solids that can deposit in the lungs. Firm evidence links lung cancer risk in miners with high exposure to radon daughters. The amount of risk associated with the much lower but chronic doses received in buildings is difficult to establish. By some extrapolations, radon daughters may be responsible for a significant number of lung cancer deaths. The existence or extent of synergism with smoking is unresolved. Local conditions can cause high levels of radon in some buildings, and measures that reduce indoor radon are of potential value.

Bismuth↗
PubMed1988

Interaction of alpha particles with bronchial cells.

The alpha-activity on the bronchial airways has been calculated for 222Rn daughter exposures producing observable excess bronchogenic lung cancer in underground miners. The activity distribution of aerosol particles with attached 222Rn daughters on the bronchial tree is truly diffuse because of the short half-life of the daughters and the large number of particles in the ambient aerosol. From the bronchial airway activity and the minor epidemiology, it can be shown that it requires, on average, 4 X 10(9) stem cells in bronchial epithelium to be hit in order to produce an observed lung cancer. For very high 222Rn daughter exposures of miners, multiply hit cells are highly probable; yet the lung cancer response is lower per unit exposure at high exposures than for mining exposures--near those sustained in the environment probably due to stem cell death. A knowledge of the number of multiply hit cells in miners permits some infererences to be made about the effectiveness of particulate versus diffusely distributed alpha emitters in the lung, namely, that particulates should not be significantly more effective in lung cancer induction than a diffuse distribution.

Air Pollution, Radioactive↗
PubMed1986

Carcinogenic agents in snuff.

The oral use of snuff has been associated with an increased-risk for cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx. The five most popular U.S. snuff brands were analyzed for alkaloids, volatile and tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines (TSNA), benzo[a]pyrene (CAS: 50-32-8), and polonium-210. The carcinogenic TSNA in the five snuff brands ranged from 9,600 to 289,000 ppb. These concentrations exceed the nitrosamine concentrations of other consumer products by at least 2 orders of magnitude. Polonium amounted to 0.16-1.22 pCi/g dry snuff. Trace amounts of benzo[a]pyrene (0.1-63 ppb) were indicative of contamination of the tobacco with thermal degradation products, probably due to fire curing or flue curing. The findings from this study, the biologic activity of snuff in animal models, and the epidemiologic studies on snuff use and oral cancer strongly suggest the need for reduction of carcinogens and especially of nitrosamines and polonium-210 in snuff.

Benzo(a)pyrene↗
PubMed1986

Fallout inhalation.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Cesium Radioisotopes↗
PubMed1985

Clearance of polonium-210-enriched cigarette smoke from the rat trachea and lung.

The distribution and clearance of alpha radioactivity in the lungs of rats were measured after inhalation of smoke from cigarettes highly enriched in 210Po. Female Fischer rats were exposed daily for 6 months to smoke from cigarettes with 500 times the normal content of 210Po. Control rats were exposed to standard cigarette smoke. Animals were serially withdrawn and killed. After necropsy the trachea, major bronchi, larynx, and nasopharynx were examined for surface alpha activity by an etched track technique utilizing cellulose nitrate detectors. Areas of accumulated activity were seen on samples of larynx from rats exposed to the 210Po-enriched cigarettes. No other local accumulations were seen on the airways. The lower lungs were analyzed radiochemically for 210Po. Both radiochemical analysis and track measurements showed highly elevated activity concentrations in rats exposed to the 210Po-enriched cigarettes. Following withdrawal from smoking, both short- and long-term clearance components were seen. The parameters which fit the postexposure data for clearance of the lung burden cannot fit the buildup during the exposure period.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Health effects and risks from 222Rn in drinking water.

This paper presents an evaluation of the inhalation and ingestion doses from exposure to Rn and Rn progeny; an overview of the human and animal health-effects data; estimations of the cancer risks from Rn and Rn-progeny exposures; and suggested limits for Rn concentrations in drinking water and indoor air. We suggest that a rounded Rn-in-water concentration limit of 10,000 pCi/l can be supported by health-effects considerations alone, based on the conservative "tolerance dose" concept and other conservative assumptions regarding lung dose. A practical concentration limit (or action level) of 20,000 pCi/l has been derived by estimations of exposure distributions in the United States and in relation to current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for U-tailings-contaminated buildings. Research needed for resolution of the uncertainties in these estimates is suggested. We conclude that before a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for Rn in water can be firmly established, the broader issue of setting the MCL for Rn in indoor air must be addressed.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMed1984

Bias in air sampling techniques used to measure inhalation exposure.

Factors have been evaluated which contribute to the lack of agreement between inhalation exposure estimates obtained by time-weighted averaging of samples taken with mini hi-volume samplers, and those measured by time integrating, low-volume, lapel mounted, personal monitors. Measurements made with real-time aerosol monitors on workers at a Be-Cu production furnace show that part of the discrepancy results from variability of the aerosol concentration within the breathing zone. Field studies of sampler inlet bias, the influences of the electrostatic fields around polystyrene filter holders, and resuspension of dust from work clothing, were done in three areas of a Be plant. No significant differences were found in Be air concentrations measured simultaneously by open and closed face cassettes, and "mini hi-volume" samplers mounted on a test stand. No significant influence on Be collection was detected between either positively or negatively charged monitors and charge neutralized control monitors. The effect of contaminated work clothing on dust collection by lapel mounted monitors is most important. Beryllium release from the fabrics affected air concentrations measured by fabric mounted monitors more than it affected concentrations measured by monitors positioned above the fabrics. The latter were placed 16 cm from the vertically mounted fabrics, to simulate the position of the nose or mouth. We conclude that dust resuspended from work clothing is the major source of the observed discrepancy between exposures estimated from lapel mounted samplers and time-weighted averages.

Aerosols↗
PubMed1983

Monitoring real-time aerosol distribution in the breathing zone.

A prototype air sampling, data recording, and data retrieval system was developed for monitoring aerosol concentrations in a worker's breathing zone. Three continuous-reading, light-scattering aerosol monitors and a tape recorder were incorporated into a specially designed and fabricated backpack for detailed field monitoring of both temporal and spatial variability in aerosol concentrations within the breathing zone. The backpack was worn by workers in a beryllium refinery. The aerosol which passed through each monitor was collected on a back-up filter for later chemical analysis for Be and Cu. The aerosol concentrations were recorded on magnetic tape as a function of time. The recorded signals were subsequently transcribed onto a strip chart recorder, then evaluated using a microcomputer with graphics capability. Field measurements made of the aerosol concentration at the forehead, nose, and lapel of operators during the melting and casting of beryllium-copper alloy demonstrated that there is considerable variability in concentration at different locations within the breathing zone. They also showed that operations resulting in worker exposure can be identified, and the precise time and duration of exposure can be determined.

Aerosols↗
PubMed1983

Measured 234,238U and fallout 239,240Pu in human bone ash from Nepal and Australia: skeletal alpha dose.

Human bone samples from Nepal and Australia were analyzed for isotopic uranium and fallout plutonium. The Nepalese samples were obtained for a 3-yr period (1976-78) while the Australian samples are representative of a single year (1977). The surface air plutonium concentrations for the latitude bands of these countries were either measured and/or estimated from 1954 through 1978. With the plutonium air concentrations and age-dependent breathing rates as input data, the measured human bone results were compared with skeletal estimates derived from the ICRP Task Group Inhalation Model, and the agreement was found to be reasonably good. The measured isotopic uranium concentrations in these samples provide a benchmark against which to assess fallout plutonium based upon a comparison of the skeletal alpha radiation dose from a natural actinide to these populations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Determination of half-dose depth in skin for soft x-rays.

Unlike superficial x-rays, the soft x-rays normally used in dermatologic practice spare unaffected underlying organs during treatment of cutaneous malignancies. However, since the dose with depth from soft x-rays varies markedly, it is important to know this relationship for optimal therapeutic results. The peak kilovoltage, and thus the energy of the beam, is generally selected so that the dose to the base of the lesion is one-half the surface dose. An absorbed dose of 3,400 rads to the surface and a dose of about one-half this amount to the base of most malignant lesions is one standard protocol for optimal therapeutic results. An accurate value of half-depth dose in skin is therefore necessary and is readily obtained from ordinary half-value layer measurements using the technic described.

Aluminum↗
PubMed1982

Environmental radon daughter alpha dose factors in a five-lobed human lung.

The alpha dose from 222Rn daughters per unit exposure (rad per WLM or rad per year per pCi 222Rn/m3) to basal cells in bronchial epithelium in a five-lobed human male lung is calculated. These factors are then derived for women, children and infants by scaling the dimensions of the male lung. The 222Rn daughter characteristics chosen are those typical of environmental atmospheres. Both active and resting breathing patterns are utilized in the calculations to yield the overall dose per unit exposure in typical population exposures.

Adult↗