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How can thorium affect my health?
Studies on thorium workers have shown that breathing high levels of thorium dust results in an
increased chance of getting lung disease. Liver diseases and effects on the blood
were found in people injected with thorotrast, a thorium compound injected into the body
as a radiographic contrast medium between the years 1928 and 1955. Animal studies have shown
that breathing thorium may result in lung damage.
Studies on exposed human populations have not reported any birth defects or effects on
a person's ability to have children.
How likely is thorium to cause cancer?
Workers who had high exposures to cigarette smoke, radon gas, and thorium had cancers of
the lung, pancreas, and blood. People who had large amounts of thorium injected into their
blood for special x-ray tests had more than the usual number of liver tumors, cancers of the
blood, such as leukemia, and tumors of the bone, kidney, spleen, and pancreas.
Is there a medical test to show whether I've been exposed to thorium?
Special tests that measure the level of radioactivity from thorium in your urine and feces, and
radon gas in the air you exhale can determine if you have been exposed to thorium. These tests are
only useful if done within several days to a week after exposure. The tests cannot tell you if your
health will be affected by the exposure. They require special equipment and are probably not available
at your local clinic or hospital.
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