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Title: An evaluation of health risk to the public as a consequence of in situ uranium mining in Wyoming, USA

Abstract

In the United States there is considerable public concern regarding the health effects of in situ recovery uranium mining. These concerns focus principally on exposure to contaminants mobilized in groundwater by the mining process. However, the risk arising as a result of mining must be viewed in light of the presence of naturally occurring uranium ore and other constituents which comprise a latent hazard. The United States Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed new guidelines for successful restoration of an in situ uranium mine by limiting concentrations of thirteen groundwater constituents: arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, selenium, silver, nitrate (as nitrogen), molybdenum, radium, total uranium, and gross α activity. We investigated the changes occurring to these constituents at an ISR uranium mine in Wyoming, USA by comparing groundwater quality at baseline measurement to that at stability (post-restoration) testing. Of the groundwater constituents considered, only uranium and radium-226 showed significant (p < 0.05) deviation from site-wide baseline conditions in matched-wells. Uranium concentrations increased by a factor of 5.6 (95% CI 3.6–8.9 times greater) while radium-226 decreased by a factor of about one half (95% CI 0.42–0.75 times less). Change in risk was calculated using the RESRAD (onsite) code for an individualmore » exposed as a resident-farmer; total radiation dose to a resident farmer decreased from pre-to post-mining by about 5.2 mSv y–1. As a result, higher concentrations of uranium correspond to increased biomarkers of nephrotoxicity, however the clinical significance of this increase is unclear.« less

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1];  [2]
  1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  2. Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1227719
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-15-26694
Journal ID: ISSN 0265-931X; PII: S0265931X1530076X
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC52-06NA25396
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Journal of Environmental Radioactivity
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 150; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0265-931X
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; uranium; mining; environmental impacts; risk assessment

Citation Formats

Ruedig, Elizabeth, and Johnson, Thomas E. An evaluation of health risk to the public as a consequence of in situ uranium mining in Wyoming, USA. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2015.08.004.
Ruedig, Elizabeth, & Johnson, Thomas E. An evaluation of health risk to the public as a consequence of in situ uranium mining in Wyoming, USA. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2015.08.004
Ruedig, Elizabeth, and Johnson, Thomas E. 2015. "An evaluation of health risk to the public as a consequence of in situ uranium mining in Wyoming, USA". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2015.08.004. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1227719.
@article{osti_1227719,
title = {An evaluation of health risk to the public as a consequence of in situ uranium mining in Wyoming, USA},
author = {Ruedig, Elizabeth and Johnson, Thomas E.},
abstractNote = {In the United States there is considerable public concern regarding the health effects of in situ recovery uranium mining. These concerns focus principally on exposure to contaminants mobilized in groundwater by the mining process. However, the risk arising as a result of mining must be viewed in light of the presence of naturally occurring uranium ore and other constituents which comprise a latent hazard. The United States Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed new guidelines for successful restoration of an in situ uranium mine by limiting concentrations of thirteen groundwater constituents: arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, selenium, silver, nitrate (as nitrogen), molybdenum, radium, total uranium, and gross α activity. We investigated the changes occurring to these constituents at an ISR uranium mine in Wyoming, USA by comparing groundwater quality at baseline measurement to that at stability (post-restoration) testing. Of the groundwater constituents considered, only uranium and radium-226 showed significant (p < 0.05) deviation from site-wide baseline conditions in matched-wells. Uranium concentrations increased by a factor of 5.6 (95% CI 3.6–8.9 times greater) while radium-226 decreased by a factor of about one half (95% CI 0.42–0.75 times less). Change in risk was calculated using the RESRAD (onsite) code for an individual exposed as a resident-farmer; total radiation dose to a resident farmer decreased from pre-to post-mining by about 5.2 mSv y–1. As a result, higher concentrations of uranium correspond to increased biomarkers of nephrotoxicity, however the clinical significance of this increase is unclear.},
doi = {10.1016/j.jenvrad.2015.08.004},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1227719}, journal = {Journal of Environmental Radioactivity},
issn = {0265-931X},
number = C,
volume = 150,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Aug 30 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Sun Aug 30 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}

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Cited by: 20 works
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Works referenced in this record:

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