Project Summary (1995-2000)

This project is examining the risk that the kidney faces following exposure to multiple metals and investigating the mechanisms that the body uses to clear metals or metal combinations from the kidney. All metals that are ingested or inhaled eventually are excreted from the body primarily by the kidney. This accumulation and clearance of metals leads to kidney intoxication. Since most hazardous waste sites contain multiple metals, exposed people are at risk for kidney intoxication by the individual metals or their combinations resulting in renal insufficiency, renal failure, and renal carcinoma. An understanding of how the kidney handles metals is critical to assess the health effects following metals exposures and provide possible therapeutic approaches for consideration.