Potential Health Risks from Uranium in Home Well Water: An Investigation by the Apsaalooke (Crow) Tribal Research Group

Eggers, Margaret J.; Moore-Nall, Anita L.; Doyle, John; Lefthand, Myra J.; Young, Sara; Bends, Ada; Camper, Anne K.

doi:10.3390/geosciences5010067

Cited by 24 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Areas with high levels of uranium contamination pose a risk to inhabitants of ingesting contaminated water supplies, where the uranium is primarily in the highly soluble uranyl ion (UO 2 2+ ) form. Following ingestion, uranyl ions can enter the bloodstream and are eventually deposited into renal tissue and bone. While many toxicological effects of uranium are poorly characterized, acute exposure via ingestion is known to cause kidney necrosis and acute renal failure.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Reusable Electrochemical DNA Biosensor for the Detection of Waterborne Uranium

Jett

Bonham

2017

ChemElectroChem

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We have developed an electrochemical biosensor for the detection of uranium, in the uranyl ion form, at low levels in water. This biosensor could have both academic and environmental monitoring applications. Uranium contamination of water sources poses serious health consequences, and this biosensor may aid in the improvement of targeting and the efficiency of remediation of contaminated water sources by improving the speed of initial identification as well as monitoring during remediation efforts. Our design uses a modified uranyl‐binding aptamer that has been inserted into an oligonucleotide scaffold to create a reusable, conformation‐switching electrochemical DNA biosensor with an apparent dissociation constant of 15±5 μM and a limit of detection within an order of magnitude of the Environmental Protection Agency's maximum contamination level for uranium in drinking water.

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Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Reusable Electrochemical DNA Biosensor for the Detection of Waterborne Uranium

Jett

Bonham

2017

ChemElectroChem

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“…It should be noted that a household water well is located approximately 200 m from the observation point, in the vicinity of a river, so that the water should be tested for uranium as carried out in Montana [26].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural Radioactivity of Intrusive-Metamorphic and Sedimentary Rocks of the Balkan Mountain Range (Serbia, Stara Planina)

Abdulqader

Vakanjac

Kovačević³

et al. 2017

Minerals

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Stara Planina (also known as the Balkan mountain range) is known for numerous occurrences and deposits of uranium and associated radionuclides. It is also famous for its geodiversity. The geologic framework is highly complex. The mountain is situated between the latitudes of 43 • and 44 • N and the longitudes from 22 • 16 to 23 • 00 E. Uranium exploration and radioactivity testing on Stara Planina began back in 1948. Uranium has also been mined in the zone of Kalna, within the Janja granite intrusive. The naturally radioactive geologic units of Stara Planina are presented in detail in this paper. The main sources of radioactivity on Stara Planina can be classified as: 1. Granitic endogenous-syngenetic-epigenetic deposits and occurrences; 2. Metamorphogenic-syngenetic; and 3. Sedimentary, including occurrences of uranium deposition and fluctuation caused by water in different types of sedimentary rocks formed in a continental setting, which could be classified under epigenetic types. The area of Stara Planina with increased radioactivity (higher than 200 cps), measured by airborne gamma spectrometry, is about 380 square kilometers. The highest values of measured radioactivity and uranium grade were obtained from a sample taken from the Mezdreja uranium mine tailing dump, where 226 Ra measures 2600 ± 100 Bq/kg and the uranium grade is from 76.54 to 77.65 ppm U. The highest uranium (and lead) concentration, among all samples, is measured in graphitic schist with high concentrations of organic (graphitic) material from the Inovska Series-99.47 ppm U and 107.69 ppm Pb. Thorium related radioactivity is the highest in granite samples from the Janja granite in the vicinity of the Mezdreja granite mine and the Gabrovnica granite mine tailing dump, and it is the same-250 ± 10 Bq/kg for 232 Th, while the thorium grade varies from 30.82 to 60.27 ppm Th. In gray siltstones with a small amount of organic material, the highest radioactivity is related to potassium-2080 ± 90 Bq/kg for 40 K.

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“…Alluvial low lands of the Crow Reservation, MT, located along the Bighorn and Little Bighorn Rivers are where U was found to exceed EPA's MCL in some tested home wells [3]. The source of the U has not been determined but it is likely that material eroded from the Wolf, Big Horn and Pryor Mountain ranges may have had U minerals present either from the U-V deposits, or thin Permian Phosphoria sediments.…”

Section: Elements Of Environmental Concernmentioning

confidence: 99%

Possible Involvement of Permian Phosphoria Formation Oil as a Source of REE and Other Metals Associated with Complex U-V Mineralization in the Northern Bighorn Basin?

Moore-Nall

Tsosie

2017

Minerals

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Abstract:The origin of V, U, REE and other metals in the Permian Phosphoria Formation have been speculated and studied by numerous scientists. The exceptionally high concentrations of metals have been interpreted to reflect fundamental transitions from anoxic to oxic marine conditions. Much of the oil in the Bighorn Basin, is sourced by the Phosphoria Formation. Two of the top 10 producing oil fields in Wyoming are located approximately 50 km west of two abandoned U-V mining districts in the northern portion of the basin. These fields produce from basin margin anticlinal structures from Mississippian age reservoir rock. Samples collected from abandoned U-V mines and prospects hosted in Mississippian aged paleokarst in Montana and Wyoming have hydrocarbon residue present and contain anomalous high concentrations of many metals that are found in similar concentrations in the Phosphoria Formation. As, Hg, Mo, Pb, Tl, U, V and Zn, often metals of environmental concern occur in high concentrations in Phosphoria Formation samples and had values ranging from 30-1295 ppm As, 0.179-12.8 ppm Hg, 2-791 ppm Mo, <2-146 ppm Pb, 10-490 ppm Tl, 907-86,800 ppm U, 1240-18,900 ppm V, and 7-2230 ppm Zn, in mineralized samples from this study. The REE plus Y composition of Madison Limestone-and limestone breccia hosted-bitumen reflect similar patterns to both mineralized samples from this study and to U.S. Geological Survey rock samples from studies of the Phosphoria Formation. Geochemical, mineralogical and field data were used to investigate past theories for mineralization of these deposits to determine if U present in home wells and Hg content of fish from rivers on the proximal Crow Indian Reservation may have been derived from these deposits or related to their mode of mineralization.

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Potential Health Risks from Uranium in Home Well Water: An Investigation by the Apsaalooke (Crow) Tribal Research Group

Abstract: Exposure to uranium can damage kidneys,

Cited by 24 publications

References 32 publications

Reusable Electrochemical DNA Biosensor for the Detection of Waterborne Uranium

Reusable Electrochemical DNA Biosensor for the Detection of Waterborne Uranium

Natural Radioactivity of Intrusive-Metamorphic and Sedimentary Rocks of the Balkan Mountain Range (Serbia, Stara Planina)

Possible Involvement of Permian Phosphoria Formation Oil as a Source of REE and Other Metals Associated with Complex U-V Mineralization in the Northern Bighorn Basin?

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