APPLICATION OF RADIOTRACERS WITH HIGH SPECIFIC RADIOACTIVITY TO METALLOTOXICOLOGICAL STUDIES

The use of radiotracers with high specific activity in research on health impact of trace metals overcomes many of the analytical difficulties associated with experimentation carried out at metal levels which are typical of the polluted environment. It allows one to detect and measure ultratrace amounts of metals in biological samples and to follow them into different biochemical compartments, such as subcellular fractions and molecular components. This work shows typical examples of metallotoxicological studies carried out at the JRC-Ispra using radioisotopes with high specific radioactivity produced in the nuclear reactor and in the cyclotron. Applications refer to the use of Ti-45, V-48, Cu-64, Nb-95 and Ag-106m in in-vivo and in-vitro studies related to environmental and occupational toxicology research on trace metals.