Tungsten or Wolfram: Friend or Foe?

Title:Tungsten or Wolfram: Friend or Foe?

Volume: 25 Issue: 1

Author(s): Maria A. Zoroddu*, Serenella Medici, Massimiliano Peana, Valeria M. Nurchi, Joanna I. Lachowicz, Freda Laulicht-Glickc and Max Costa*

Affiliation:

• Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, Sassari,Italy

• Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York,United States

Keywords: Tungsten, toxicity, biological role, carcinogenesis, leukemia, environment, pollution, weapon.

Abstract: Tungsten or wolfram was regarded for many years as an enemy within the tin smelting and mining industry, because it conferred impurity or dirtiness in tin mining. However, later it was considered an amazing metal for its strength and flexibility, together with its diamond like hardness and its melting point which is the highest of any metal. It was first believed to be relatively inert and an only slightly toxic metal. Since early 2000, the risk exerted by tungsten alloys, its dusts and particulates to induce cancer and several other adverse effects in animals as well as humans has been highlighted from in vitro and in vivo experiments. Thus, it becomes necessary to take a careful look at all the most recent data reported in the scientific literature, covering the years 2001-2016. In fact, the findings indicate that much more attention should be devoted to thoroughly investigate the toxic effects of tungsten and the involved mechanisms of tungsten metal or tungsten metal ions.

Cite this article as:

Zoroddu A. Maria *, Medici Serenella, Peana Massimiliano, Nurchi M. Valeria, Lachowicz I. Joanna, Laulicht-Glickc Freda and Costa Max*, Tungsten or Wolfram: Friend or Foe?, Current Medicinal Chemistry 2018; 25 (1) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/0929867324666170428105603