PubMed · 14339074
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F D SOWBY. 1965. RADIATION AND OTHER RISKS.. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004032-196509000-00008
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Today in modern times, traumatic injuries caused by crossbows are a rarity. The largest collection of cases so far is presented in this study, consisting of four fatalities (two homicides and two suicides) and two non-fatal injuries (grievous bodily harm and an accident). All the victims were male having an age between 31 and 54. The weapons, which were used, were mainly high-performance precision crossbows with telescopic sights and hunting bolts. The parts of the body involved were the facial/head area in three of the cases and the thorax in three of them. There were either deep or total penetration injuries to the cranium and thorax with the bolt remaining in the wound in four out of six cases. The persons with non-fatal crossbow injuries exhibited comparatively few symptoms, despite the sometimes extensive involvement of the interior of the cranium (cerebrocranial penetration, in one instance). The two cases of suicide favoured the body areas often found with gun-users. The aetiological classification of crossbow injuries may be difficult after the removal of the bolt. The external morphology is strongly dependent on the type of tip used. Multiple-bladed hunting broadheads produce radiating incised wounds, whereas conical field tips produce circular to slitlike defects. Correspondingly, the external injuries can be reminiscent of the effects of a violent attack by sharp force or of a gunshot wound. The possibility, supported by clinical data, that the victim might have the ability to act or even to survive for a period of time, even with penetration of the brain, should be taken into account when the cause of death is being investigated.
BACKGROUND: Radioisotopes are introduced into the environment following nuclear power plant accidents or nuclear weapons tests. The immobility of these radioactive elements in uppermost soil layers represents a problem for human health, since they can easily be incorporated in the food chain. Preventing their assimilation by plants may be a first step towards the total recovery of contaminated areas. METHODS: The possibility of displacing radionuclides from the most superficial soil layers and their subsequent stabilisation at lower levels were investigated in laboratory trials. An experimental system reproducing the environmental conditions of contaminated areas was designed in plastic columns. A radiopolluted soil sample was treated with solutions containing ions normally used in fertilisation (NO3-, NH4+, PO4--- and K+). RESULTS: Contaminated soils treated with an acid solution of ions NO3-, PO4--- and K+, undergo a reduction of radioactivity up to 35%, after a series of washes which simulate one year's rainfall. The capacity of the deepest soil layers to immobilize the radionuclides percolated from the superficial layers was also confirmed. CONCLUSION: The migration of radionuclides towards deeper soil layers, following chemical treatments, and their subsequent stabilization reduces bioavailability in the uppermost soil horizon, preventing at the same time their transfer into the water-bearing stratum.