Browsing by Author "Wilcox, D"

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    First 26Al analyses at the ANTARES AMS Centre: uptake via oral ingestion of 26Al in rats
    (Elsevier, 1994-06-03) Fink, D; Walton, J; Hotchkis, MAC; Jacobsen, GE; Lawson, EM; Smith, AM; Tuniz, C; Wilcox, D
    As the debate on the role played by aluminium in Alzheimer's disease remains a controversial one, the mechanism and degree of uptake of aluminium into brain tissue is not well understood nor quantified. We report here results from the initial phase of our study of aluminium uptake and retention in tissues of rats following oral administration of a tracer dose of 26Al. An account of our biomedical findings in old rats will be described elsewhere. For a young rat population, we find 26Al retention in the liver to be 7 times that in the brain. A description of our experience in performing aluminium measurements of biological tissues is described and interpretation of the findings are given. © 1994 Elsevier B.V.
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    Uptake of trace amounts of aluminium into the brain from drinking water
    (Elsevier, 1995-01) Walton, J; Tuniz, C; Fink, D; Jacobsen, GE; Wilcox, D
    Throughout the world, alum (aluminum sulfate) is used in municipal water treatment plants to clarify water. Alum treatment usually removes aluminosilicate particles from drinking water but can substantially increase its soluble aluminum content (Zhang et al., 1994; Tran et al., 1993; Kopp, 1970). Soluble aluminum is the more bioavailable and potentially toxic form. We gavaged simulated tap water, containing a low level of radioactive soluble aluminum (26Al), into the stomachs of rats. Measurements with accelerator mass spectrometry showed that trace amounts of 26Al from this single exposure directly entered their brain tissue. Uptake of a comparable level of aluminum into the human brain, from alum-treated drinking water over a prolonged period of time, may contribute to long-term health consequences for some people.