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Division of Biophysical Toxicology
The Division of Biophysical Toxicology supports the Department of the Army and AFIP mission of consultation, education and research by providing a program aimed at the development and application of chemical and micro-analytical techniques for the study of tissues, toxic metals, and environmental samples. Particular emphasis is on the analysis and speciation of trace toxic metals and to study their potential association with the development of human diseases. A wide-range of laboratory techniques are available including:
- Electrothermal graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry
- Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry
- Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry
- Mercury analysis by cold vapor fluorescence spectrometry
- Differential scanning calorimetry
- Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy
- Confocal laser Raman microprobe with chemical mapping and imaging analysis
- Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis
The Division's education program includes training to military, medical, and clinical toxicology personnel in each of these technologies, as well as the development of short courses, workshops and symposia in environmental health, analytical toxicology, and military medical geology. The Division is responsible for devising a research plan and maintaining a tissue and specimen banking on military relevant metals such as depleted uranium, tungsten, and lead. Research activities recently initiated include the chemical analysis of retained metal fragments, study of trace element distribution in prostate disease, characterization of trace toxic metals in dietary supplements used in the military, occupational assessment study of sarcoidosis cases within the Navy, and the health effects of trace toxic metals from exposure to natural dust and particulate matter. The Division’s laboratory are accredited by the College of American Pathologists and it actively participates on national and international proficiency testing (PT) programs including the Wadsworth Center-New York Sate Department of Health PT program, the American Industrial Hygiene Association environmental lead PT program, and the Regular European Inter-laboratory Measurement Evaluation Program(REIMEP) for Uranium Isotopic Ratios.
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