The following two papers detail the natural distribution in the brain of the radionuclides Polonium 210 (the stuff that killed the defected Russian spy, in London) and Bismuth 210.
Polonium 210 is an alpha particle emitter, while Bismuth 210 is a beta particle emitter. Lead 210 (also a beta emitter) breaks down into Bismuth 210 which in turn dissintegrates into Polonium 210.... While these radionuclides are degrading their alpha and beta particles cause damage to the tissues/cells immediately surrounding them.
This is relevant to the damage that would be caused by other radionuclides like depleted uranium (DU), plutonium, and many others (some of which are man-made during the nuclear fusion process). When these particles become internalized and trapped in our bodies, they continue to cause cell death and destruction for a very long time.
Polonium 210 is commonly found in cigarettes. It is a element found in phosphate fertilizer, which the tobacco plant requires copious quantities of. This is because phosphorous is contaminated with uranium. The Polonium 210 is what makes second hand smoke so deadly.
This next paper is available FREE on-line. I strongly urge those of you who are interested in what causes brain wasting/degeneration to read this paper for some very important insights. Give a copy to your local doctor(s) and anyone else that would benefit.
Link: http://www.molecularneurodegeneration.com/content/pdf/1750-1326-1-11.pdf
The following is a direct quote from the above paper:
Polonium 210 is an alpha particle emitter, while Bismuth 210 is a beta particle emitter. Lead 210 (also a beta emitter) breaks down into Bismuth 210 which in turn dissintegrates into Polonium 210.... While these radionuclides are degrading their alpha and beta particles cause damage to the tissues/cells immediately surrounding them.
This is relevant to the damage that would be caused by other radionuclides like depleted uranium (DU), plutonium, and many others (some of which are man-made during the nuclear fusion process). When these particles become internalized and trapped in our bodies, they continue to cause cell death and destruction for a very long time.
Polonium 210 is commonly found in cigarettes. It is a element found in phosphate fertilizer, which the tobacco plant requires copious quantities of. This is because phosphorous is contaminated with uranium. The Polonium 210 is what makes second hand smoke so deadly.
Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 2001 Apr-Jun;15(2):106-15.
Environmental lead-210 and bismuth-210 accrue selectively in the brain proteins in Alzheimer disease and brain lipids in Parkinson disease.
Momcilovic B, Alkhatib HA, Duerre JA, Cooley M, Long WM, Harris TR, Lykken GI.
Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Zagreb, Croatia.
We studied the occurrence of the environmental radon daughters, 210Po (alpha particles), and 210Bi (beta particles), in the protein and lipid fractions of cortical gray and subcortical white matter from the frontal and temporal lobes of human brains of persons with Alzheimer disease (AD), persons with Parkinson disease (PD), smokers, or persons with no previous evidence of clinical neurologic disease (controls). We found a 10-fold increase in 210Po and 210Pb radioactivity in the protein fraction from both the cortical gray and subcortical white matter in AD and smokers, and a similar increase in the lipid fraction in PD. The pathognomonic distribution of the radon daughters to the lipids in PD and to the proteins in AD was inferred to reflect the increase of local chlorine availability to which radon daughters bound selectively. Cigarette smoking strongly increases radon daughter retention in the central nervous system.
PMID: 11403330
This next paper is available FREE on-line. I strongly urge those of you who are interested in what causes brain wasting/degeneration to read this paper for some very important insights. Give a copy to your local doctor(s) and anyone else that would benefit.
Link: http://www.molecularneurodegeneration.com/content/pdf/1750-1326-1-11.pdf
Mol Neurodegener. 2006 Sep 11;1:11.
Natural distribution of environmental radon daughters in the different brain areas of an Alzheimer Disease victim.
Momcilovic B, Lykken GI, Cooley M.
Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, PO Box 291, 10001 Zagreb, Croatia. [email protected]
ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Radon is a ubiquitous noble gas in the environment and a primary source of harmful radiation exposure for humans; it decays in a cascade of daughters (RAD) by releasing the cell damaging high energy alpha particles. RESULTS: We studied natural distribution of RAD 210Po and 210Bi in the different parts of the postmortem brain of 86-year-old woman who had suffered from Alzheimer's disease (AD). A distinct brain map emerged, since RAD distribution was different among the analyzed brain areas. The highest RAD irradiation (mSv.year-1) occurred in the decreasing order of magnitude: amygdale (Amy) >> hippocampus (Hip) > temporal lobe (Tem) ~ frontal lobe (Fro) > occipital lobe (Occ) ~ parietal lobe (Par) > substantia nigra (SN) >> locus ceruleus (LC) ~ nucleus basalis (NB); generally more RAD accumulated in the proteins than lipids of gray and white (gray > white) brain matter. Amy and Hip are particularly vulnerable brain structure targets to significant RAD internal radiation damage in AD (5.98 and 1.82 mSv.year-1, respectively). Next, naturally occurring RAD radiation for Tem and Fro, then Occ and Par, and SN was an order of magnitude higher than that in LC and NB; the later was within RAD we observed previously in the healthy control brains. CONCLUSION: Naturally occurring environmental RAD exposure may dramatically enhance AD deterioration by selectively targeting brain areas of emotions (Amy) and memory (Hip).
PMID: 16965619
The following is a direct quote from the above paper:
"We are impressed that the tiny amygdale alone received an
equivalent of 2/3 of the respective total yearly human
body physical energy dose from cosmic rays (299 vs. 450
µG·y-1) [29]. The biological quality of different types of
radiation is different (alpha being the most adverse to the
biological tissue), and when the results are corrected for
the high biological quality factor of alpha radiation, Amy
will receive a fifteen-times greater biological effective radiation
dose than the whole human body over the entire
year (5980 vs. 450 µSi·y-1, respectively). Approximately
one million of Amy cells will be killed in a year, an equivalent
of one gram of that 10 gram heavy brain structure.
This estimate is a very conservative approximation, based
on only three direct cell kills per decayed high energy
alpha particle, since as much as fifty cells may be irreparably
injured and die after some delay by a single 210Po
alpha particle as a result of the "bystander effect" [44].
What we observed in this AD brain is the internal radiation
"amygdalectomy" and how that might explain some
of the respective emotional torpidity and insensitivity
associated with AD and old age. This case appears to fit the
usual pattern of events in AD; on average, person spend
several years in the mild or minimal stages, between 4 and
5 years in the moderate disease stages, and depending on
the quality of care in the depending stages, a year or more
requiring full nursing care [45].
Conclusion
In conclusion, AD is a complex and progressive brain disease
characterized by the failing ability to cope with environmental
xenobiotic hazards [2,3], excessive free radical
injury, inflammation and immunity deficiency [46], cell
repair impairment [47], and the protein synthesis [48].
The ubiquitous environmental RAD exposure, and high
RAD accumulation in the sensitive brain structures may
either induce or hasten or both the irreversible "shut
down" process of the ailing human brain in AD.