Guide To Bone Cancer Causes And Risk Factors

Exposure To Radium Or Plutonium

An individual who has experienced occupational exposure to radium or plutonium for some time is at a higher risk of developing bone cancer than the rest of the population. When an individual is exposed to compounds such as radium or plutonium, it uses their lungs as a gateway into their circulatory system. Once in circulation, radium or plutonium is rapidly distributed throughout the body tissues. These compounds begin to deplete from the soft tissues first, making their way into an individual's stool for excretion. The concentration of radium and plutonium is then shifted into the hard tissues or bones. An affected individual's bones become the primary storage module for these compounds, much similar to the way calcium is stored in the bones. Upon long term exposure to high levels of radium or plutonium, the buildup of these compounds in the bone tissue causes the bone and its vessels to become damaged. This damage increases the likelihood a cancer-causing mutation occurs in the portion of the cellular DNA responsible for cell multiplication, growth, and apoptosis.

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