US EPA

8803210 

Book/Book Chapter 

Strontium in the Environment and Possible Human Health Effects 

Höllriegl, V; München, HZ 

2011 

Elsevier Inc. 

Encyclopedia of Environmental Health 

268-275 

English 

10.1016/b978-0-444-52272-6.00638-3 

Strontium is a ubiquitous element in the environment. Stable and radioactive strontium compounds are used in many industrial processes and find applications in research and medical fields. Although strontium is not regarded as an essential element and does not have any known biological role, it is present in all living organisms. Strontium resembles the element calcium in its properties; like calcium, it is taken up and preferentially located into the bone. Here, strontium can have both beneficial and deleterious effects in humans depending on the amount taken up. Radioactive strontium isotopes formed during nuclear reactor operations and nuclear explosions by nuclear fission of uranium or plutonium, and their resulting accumulation in the food chain, are of greatest environmental concern. The ingestion of radioactive strontium, nuclide 90Sr in particular, via contaminated water and food is a major exposure pathway for the population. Exposure to radioactive strontium can result in health consequences leading to various bone disorders and diseases including bone cancer. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 

Calcium; Environmental contamination; Health effects; Human metabolism; Radioactivity; Strontium; Strontium-90