Thorotrast bottle.

Thorotrast is a suspension containing particles of the radioactive compound thorium dioxide, ThO₂, used as a contrast medium in X-ray diagnostics in the 1930s and 40s (use in some countries, such as the U.S., continued into the 1950s^[1]). Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Mixture. ... Radioactivity may mean: Look up radioactivity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Thorium dioxide (ThO2), also called thorium(IV) oxide (IUPAC) is a white, crystalline powder. ... A contrast medium is a radiopaque substance used to facilitate roentgen visualization of internal structures of the body such as the urogenital sinus. ... In the NATO phonetic alphabet, X-ray represents the letter X. An X-ray picture (radiograph) taken by Röntgen An X-ray is a form of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength approximately in the range of 5 pm to 10 nanometers (corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 PHz... The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known as the World Depression. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... The 1950s decade refers to the years 1950 to 1959 inclusive. ...

The naturally abundant thorium nuclide ²³²Th is slightly unstable and decays through the emission of an alpha particle. Thorium compounds produce excellent images because of thorium's high opacity to X-rays (it has a high cross section for absorption). Because the suspension offered high image quality and had virtually no immediate side-effects compared to the alternatives available at the time, Thorotrast became widely used after its introduction in 1931. 2-10 million patients worldwide have been treated with Thorotrast. Thorium 232 is a naturally occurring isotope of thorium. ... An alpha particle is deflected by a magnetic field Alpha radiation consists of helium-4 nuclei and is readily stopped by a sheet of paper. ... In nuclear and particle physics, the concept of a cross section is used to express the likelihood of interaction between particles. ... Year 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Even at the time of introduction, there was concern about the safety of Thorotrast. Following injection, the drug is distributed to the liver, spleen, lymph nodes, and bone,where it is absorbed. After this initial absorption, redistribution takes place at a very slow pace. Specifically, the biological half-life is estimated to be 22 years. [1] This means that the organs of patients who have been given Thorotrast will be exposed to the alpha-radiation it emits for much of the rest of their lives. The significance of this exposure was not fully understood in 1931. For the bird, see Liver bird. ... The spleen is an organ located in the abdomen, where it functions in the destruction of old red blood cells and holding a reservoir of blood. ... Lymph nodes are components of the lymphatic system. ... This article is about the skeletal organs. ... Half-Life For a quantity subject to exponential decay, the half-life is the time required for the quantity to fall to half of its initial value. ...

Unfortunately, Thorotrast turned out to be extremely carcinogenic, because of these alpha particles. There is a high over-incidence of various cancers in patients who have been treated with Thorotrast. The cancers occur several (usually 20-30) years after injection of Thorotrast. The risk of getting liver cancer in former Thorotrast patients has been measured to be well above 100 times the risk of the rest of the population. The risk of leukemia appears to be 20 times higher in Thorotrast patients. These observations have led some to characterize Thorotrast as the most potent human carcinogen known. Hepatic tumors are tumors or growths on or in the liver (medical terms pertaining to the liver often start in hepato- or hepatic from the Greek word for liver, hepar). ... Leukemia or leukaemia (see spelling differences) is a cancer of the blood or bone marrow and is characterized by an abnormal proliferation (production by multiplication) of blood cells, usually white blood cells (leukocytes). ... The hazard symbol for carcinogenic chemicals in the Globally Harmonized System. ...

The Danish director Nils Malmros's movie, Facing the Truth (original Danish title At Kende Sandheden) from 2002, portrays the dilemma that faced Malmros's father, Richard Malmros, when treating his patients in the 1940s. Richard Malmros was deeply concerned about the persistence of Thorotrast in the body but was forced to use Thorotrast, because the only available alternative (per-abrodil) had serious immediate side-effects, suffered from image quality problems and was difficult to obtain during the Second World War. The use of Thorotrast in Denmark ended in 1947 when safer alternatives became available. Today, barium sulfate is the most commonly-used X-ray contrast medium. Nils Malmros (born Nils Sigurd Malmros october 5th 1944 in Ã…rhus, Denmark) is a Danish film director. ... Facing the Truth (At kende sandheden in its native Denmark) is a 2002 film directed by Nils Malmros and shot entirely in a black-and-white documentary style. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Granulated Barium Sulfate Barium sulfate (or barium sulphate) is the white crystalline solid with the formula BaSO4. ...

Thorotrast has also been used in research to stain neural tissue samples for examination by historadiography.^[2] Historadiography is a technique utilized in the fields of histology and cellular biology to provide semiquantitative information regarding the density of a tissue sample. ...

References

1. ^ Thorotrast
2. ^ PMID 4593184

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