Osmotic resistance of venous erythrocytes in uderground uranium miners

The osmotic resistance was determined of venous blood erythrocytes in a group of 97 miners from underground uranium mines as well as in a group of 83 controls. The miners were found to have decreased minimal erythrocyte resistance in response to osmotic hemolysis. In all other, more hypotonic solutions of sodium chloride the miners' group was found to have on the average more erythrocytes hemolyzed than in the control group. The change in osmotic resistance of erythrocytes in the miners should, in the authors' view, be seen in relation to the uranyl ion influence on erythrocytes. This influence was proved experimentally in vitro on models using an erythrocyte suspension. The erythrocytes of miners working in underground uraniun mines were found to contain a significantly higher amount of uranium than that found in the controls. (author)