Alzheimer's &
Parkinson's Caused by Radon?
(University of North Dakota) --- In
a study conducted at the University of North
Dakota, researchers discovered that the
presence of radioactive radon daughters in
the brains of non-smoking persons with
Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease was 10
times greater than it was in the brains of
persons with no previous evidence of
neurological disorders. Professor Glenn
Lykken and Dr. Berislave Momcilovic asserted
their study demonstrates that indoor radon
gas has the capacity to irreversibly infest
the brain with the poisonous progeny of
radioactive heavy metals.
Recently revised EPA risks
assessments estimate 21,000 Americans die
annually from radon induced lung cancer,
150% higher than their 1994 estimate.
However, scientists are increasingly
suspicious that radon may be linked to
disease in other parts of the body as well.
When inhaled, radon gas accumulates in lipid
tissue throughout the body with the highest
concentration in the brain, bone marrow, and
nervous system. Additionally, one-third of
the inhaled radon decay products
(radioactive particles produced when the gas
decays) pass from the lungs into the blood
stream indicating that the gas does not flow
quickly in and out of the lungs, but lingers
in the body.
Previous study at UND determined that once
radon is rapidly absorbed into the body from
the lung, a fraction accumulates in the
brain resulting in increased gamma ray
emissions from bismuth-214 (one of the
radioactive radon decay products) and
altered EEG signals.
While radon is a lipid-soluble gas that can
move freely in and out of the brain despite
the blood-brain barrier, none of the
transmuted heavy metal radon daughters are
soluble in the lipids, meaning they remain
trapped in the brain where they emit gamma
radiation and alpha particles resulting in
both radiation and chemical injury to the
brain cells.
Of keen interest was the unexpected
discovery that the radioactivity selectively
accrues to the brain proteins in the
Alzheimer's victims and to the brain lipids
in the Parkinson's victims. This
pathognomonic distribution was inferred to
reflect the increase of local chlorine
availability to which the radon daughters
bound selectively.
Once present, the most likely candidate for
radiation injury appears to be the highly
radiosensitive astrocytes rather than the
more radioresistant neurons, which do not
divide. Other studies have indicated the
astrocytes may be involved in Alzheimer's
disease and the amyloid deposits and
neurofibrillatory tangling observed with
Alzheimer's may well reflect the response to
radiation injury of the astrocytes.
Interestingly enough, the geographic
distribution of Parkinson's disease
mortality is considerably higher in states
with greater radon potential, according to
research by D.J. Lansak of the University of
Kentucky and published in the Journal of
Neurological Sciences.
An estimated 4.5 million Americans have
Alzheimer's disease, the number having
doubled in the last 25 years. An estimated
1.5 million Americans have Parkinson's
disease with 60,000 new cases diagnosed each
year.
University of North Dakota researchers are
looking for more funding to continue their
research. To access the study in its
entirety, please go to www.radonnews.org
or the Alzheimer Disease and Associated
Disorders Magazine.
