Strontium is a chemical element found in various minerals. It is naturally common in the environment, and also has various uses such as an additive in diesel fuel. Strontium can be found in air, soil, dust, surface water and groundwater, plants and animals. Radioactive forms of strontium are formed in nuclear reactors and during nuclear explosions, and most adverse effects of strontium being consumed in food or water are from the radioactive form of the element.
Source
Because stable and radioactive strontium fall as tiny dust particles onto surface water, plant surfaces and soil, it can accumulate in food and drinking water. Both types have a tendency to accumulate in fish, vegetables and livestock more than in other food sources. Most dietary strontium results from eating grains, leafy vegetables and dairy products.
Bone Storage
The body removes most strontium as it does other excess minerals and waste substances, through sweat, urine and feces. However, some strontium may accumulate on and inside bone, because strontium acts like calcium in the body. In adults, strontium typically attaches to the bone surface, but a child's developing body may use strontium to create bone. Strontium then might be stored in the body for years. Because bones continuously dissolve cells and replace them with new cells, much of the strontium likely is eliminated over time, but some will be reused.
Children Considerations
It is uncommon for people to consume high levels of strontium. If children do so, they may experience problems with bone growth. However, if they are eating enough calcium and protein, this is not likely to occur. Children who drink milk, particularly milk fortified with vitamin D, probably will not have bone growth problems even if they consume a large amount of stable strontium.
Radioactive Effects on Bone
Significant amounts of radioactive strontium, like other radioactive material, is dangerous. When it accumulates on or inside bone, adjoining tissue can be damaged by radiation. This includes bone marrow, the primary source of blood cells. Radiation can severely reduce both red and white blood cell counts, as occurs when radiation is intentionally used to destroy bone marrow in cancer patients. Low levels of red blood cells lead to anemia and fatigue, while low levels of platelets can prevent the blood from clotting properly. Loss of white blood cells inhibits the body's ability to fight infectious disease.
Cancer
Radioactive material, including strontium, can cause cancer because it damages genetic material in cells. Both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have defined radioactive strontium as carcinogenic to humans. The U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry notes that individuals in one population showed increases in leukemia after their water supply was contaminated by radioactive strontium and other radioactive materials from a nuclear weapons plant. This was an area along the Techa River in Russia, beginning in the late 1940s.
Tags: radioactive strontium, blood cells, bone growth, bone marrow, inside bone, other radioactive