When radionuclides enter our organism, whether by inhalation, ingestion, or through wounds, they pose a potential health risk. Many previous studies on radionuclide exposure have focused mainly on animal experiments. However, we have little data on toxicity at the cellular and molecular level. Kidney cells are of particular interest because in mammals they play a central role in the detoxification of bivalent, trivalent, and hexavalent radionuclides as well as other heavy metals via urinary excretion. A team from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and TU Dresden has now found a differentiated picture, as the researchers report in the journal Science of the Total Environment.