b) Chronic exposure: slowly progressive renal failure, encephalopathy,
polyneuropathy, cardiomyopathy, anemia, liver cirrhosis, abdominal
cramps, diarrhoea and vomiting and hyperpigmentation.Diagnosis and treatment:
Arsenic may be detected in urine, blood, hair and nail. Treatment is
with BAL, exchange transfusion or haemodialysis which should be
performed within 24 hours of exposure.
Radiation injury
It may be defined as any somatic or genetic disruption of function
or form caused by electromagnetic waves or accelerated particles. These
could be ultraviolet radiation, microwave radiation, high intensity
ultrasound and ionized radiation from natural or man made sources.
Exposure:
a) Medical: Staff or the public may be affected by a malfunction or during
repair of machinery in radiotherapy departments. Patients subjected to
radiotherapy may be affected and can be a source of irradiation to
others.
b) Industrial and military: atomic weapon testing, catastrophes (such as
Chernobyl reactor), industrial and laboratory exposure. This could be
through ingestion or inhalation of long-lived isotopes (such as radium
and plutonium).
Radiobiology of kidney tissue:
After exposure to a dose of radiation of 10 Gray (GY) or more, the
renal tubular cells are reduced in number, exhibiting flattening in the
tubule lining. Whole nephrons are lost over 4-18 months after exposure.