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Beware of heavy metal pollution! Tungsten deposits in water can have a "negative" effect on human bones

  • Mosten
  • 1 Feb

A team of scientists from the university of Chicago have published a new study in the journal Nature. They believe that tungsten may pose health risks to people, especially tungsten dust and tungsten-containing drinking water, which need to be taken seriously.

Previously, tungsten was thought to pose little or no health risk to the general population. Tungsten itself is not toxic, but studies have found that when dissolved in water is ingested by the body and stored in the bones, it produces a chemical similar to phosphor tungstate, which is difficult to remove and can increase the toxicity of other metals ingested.In particular, in some areas where tungsten is mined, it is not uncommon to find sources of water with high levels of tungsten. Long-term consumption of such surface water or groundwater may pose health risks. Tungsten is a special refractory metal with the highest melting point, high density and hardness. It is an important component in various industrial, military and medical applications. Tungsten is used in cutting tools, ammunition, medical devices and even some medicines. It has become a part of our daily life, and we can easily find tools or products made of tungsten in every aspect of our life.

Of course, scientists don't think it's the sintered tungsten or any other finished product that's at risk. They think it's tungsten powder, tungsten dust or water-soluble tungsten compounds. So they recommended that smelters increase their exposure to airborne tungsten dust during production to protect workers who mine and process the metal. The author of many domestic academic papers, but also found that many domestic scholars have expressed similar views. It's just that this time, American scientists are going to go beyond the casserole and dig deeper to make a more concrete argument.

In the early 2000s, U.S. scientists investigated a possible link between a series of childhood leukemia cases in the fallon, nev., area and high levels of tungsten in the groundwater the town provided. The case prompted the centers for disease control and prevention to nominate a study on the toxicology and carcinogenesis of tungsten.

So far, studies of the toxicity of tungsten and its possible role as a carcinogen have produced mixed results. Some studies have shown that tungsten levels in some areas are comparable to those in the fallon area, but have not been associated with higher than normal rates of cancer, a finding that seems to explain why tungsten itself is not toxic or carcinogenic. But that doesn't mean it isn't risky, and subsequent studies have shown that tungsten appears to increase the toxicity of other metals like cobalt in subjects exposed to it. These findings point to the need to better understand how tungsten accumulates in the body and how much the body can eliminate it after exposure, which is the focus of the study.

Studies have shown that tungsten accumulates in bones and is neither stable nor inert once it is absorbed. Considering its association with childhood lymphoblastic leukemia, tungsten has relatively high cytosolic solubility and availability. The scientists described the chemical form in mice exposed to tungsten through drinking water. The accumulation of tungsten in bone tissue was reported by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, and some sites were 210 times stronger than the background level.

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tungsten