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 anal. difficulties assocd. with experimentation carried out at metal levels which are typical of the polluted environment. It allows one to detect and measure ultratrace amts. of metals in biol. samples and to follow them into different biochem. compartments, such as subcellular fractions and mol. components. This work shows typical examples of metallotoxicol. 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 45Ti, 46V, 64Cu, 95Nb and 106mAg in in vivo and in vitro studies related to environmental and occupational toxicol. research on trace metals.