Elevated concentrations of U and co-occurring metals in abandoned mine wastes in a northeastern Arizona Native American community

Blake, Johanna M.; Avasarala, Sumant; Artyushkova, Kateryna; Ali, Abdul -Mehdi S.; Brearley, Adrian J.; Shuey, Christopher; Robinson, Wm. Paul; Nez, Christopher; Bill, Sadie; Lewis, Johnnye; Hirani, Chris; Pacheco, Juan S. Lezama; Cerrato, José M.

doi:10.1021/acs.est.5b01408

Title: Elevated concentrations of U and co-occurring metals in abandoned mine wastes in a northeastern Arizona Native American community

Journal Article · Thu Jul 09 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · Environmental Science and Technology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b01408· OSTI ID:1215426

Blake, Johanna M. ^[1]; Avasarala, Sumant ^[1]; Artyushkova, Kateryna ^[1]; Ali, Abdul -Mehdi S. ^[1]; Brearley, Adrian J. ^[1]; Shuey, Christopher ^[2]; Robinson, Wm. Paul ^[2]; Nez, Christopher ^[3]; Bill, Sadie ^[3]; Lewis, Johnnye ^[1]; Hirani, Chris ^[4]; Pacheco, Juan S. Lezama ^[5]; Cerrato, José M. ^[1]

Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Southwest Research and Information Center, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Tachee Uranium Concerncs Committee, Blue Gap, AZ (United States)
Central New Mexico Community College, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States)

The chemical interactions of U and co-occurring metals in abandoned mine wastes in a Native American community in northeastern Arizona were investigated using spectroscopy, microscopy and aqueous chemistry. The concentrations of U (67–169 μg L^–1) in spring water samples exceed the EPA maximum contaminant limit of 30 μg L^–1. Elevated U (6,614 mg kg^–1), V (15,814 mg kg^–1), and As (40 mg kg^–1) concentrations were detected in mine waste solids. Spectroscopy (XPS and XANES) solid analyses identified U (VI), As (-I and III) and Fe (II, III). Linear correlations for the release of U vs V and As vs Fe were observed for batch experiments when reacting mine waste solids with 10 mM ascorbic acid (~pH 3.8) after 264 h. The release of U, V, As, and Fe was at least 4-fold lower after reaction with 10 mM bicarbonate (~pH 8.3). These results suggest that U–V mineral phases similar to carnotite [K₂(UO₂)₂V₂O₈] and As–Fe-bearing phases control the availability of U and As in these abandoned mine wastes. Elevated concentrations of metals are of concern due to human exposure pathways and exposure of livestock currently ingesting water in the area. This study contributes to understanding the occurrence and mobility of metals in communities located close to abandoned mine waste sites.

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Research Organization:: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC)

Grant/Contract Number:: 1345169; IIA-1301346

OSTI ID:: 1215426

Journal Information:: Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 49, Issue 14; ISSN 0013-936X

Publisher:: American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 58 works

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