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Title: Contamination of the human food chain by uranium mill tailings piles

Abstract

A study is in progress to estimate the contamination of the human food chain by uranium, /sup 230/Th, /sup 226/Ra /sup 210/Pb, and /sup 210/Po originating from tailing piles associated with uranium ore processing mills. Rabbits, cattle, vegetables, and grass were collected on or near two uranium mill sites. For controls, similar samples were obtained from areas 20 km or more from the mining and mill operations. For the onsite rabbits the mean /sup 226/Ra concentrations in muscle, lung, and kidney of 5.5, 14, and 15 pCi/kg wet, respectively, were substantially higher than those in the respective tissues of control animals (0.4, 1.5, and 0.2 pCi/kg). The levels in liver did not differ significantly between the groups. The concentrations in bone (femur and vertebra) were about 9000 and 350 pCi/kg ash for the onsite and offsite animals, respectively. The levels of /sup 210/Pb and /sup 210/Po did not differ significantly for a given tissue between the two groups, except that the /sup 210/Pb level in the kidney was greater in the onsite group. For cattle, the concentrations in muscle, liver, and kidney do not differ greatly between those grazed near the pile and the controls. The levels of /sup 226/Ra,more » and possibly of /sup 210/Pb, appear to be greater in the femur of the animals near the piles. Vegetables from a residential area on a mill site contained substantially greater concentrations of /sup 226/Ra and /sup 210/Pb than those reported for standard New York City diets. Grass and cattle dung from land irrigated by water containing 60 pCi/L /sup 226/Ra from uranium mines had concentrations of /sup 226/Ra and /sup 210/Pb 50 and 8 times, respectively, those in control samples. It is estimated that doubling the normal concentrations in meat and vegetables of uranium and daughter products could increase the dose equivalent rates to the skeletons of persons consuming these foods by 30 or more mrem/yr.« less

Authors:
; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
6186958
Report Number(s):
NUREG/CR-0758; ANL/ES-69
TRN: 79-017180
DOE Contract Number:  
W-31-109-ENG-38
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; 63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.; 60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES; 11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS; CATTLE; RADIONUCLIDE KINETICS; DIET; RADIOACTIVITY; FEMUR; FOOD CHAINS; CONTAMINATION; RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION; GRASS; HUMAN POPULATIONS; DOSE EQUIVALENTS; ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE PATHWAY; KIDNEYS; LEAD 210; ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT; RADIATION MONITORING; LIVER; LUNGS; MILL TAILINGS; LEACHING; MUSCLES; POLONIUM 210; RABBITS; RADIUM 226; THORIUM 230; URANIUM 238; VEGETABLES; VERTEBRAE; EXPERIMENTAL DATA; ORE PROCESSING; RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION; SKELETON; TABLES; TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS; URANIUM ORES; ACTINIDE ISOTOPES; ACTINIDE NUCLEI; ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES; ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; ANIMALS; BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; BODY; DATA; DATA FORMS; DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES; DIGESTIVE SYSTEM; DISSOLUTION; DOMESTIC ANIMALS; ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION; ECOSYSTEMS; EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI; FOOD; GLANDS; HEAVY NUCLEI; INFORMATION; ISOTOPES; LEAD ISOTOPES; MAMMALS; MASS TRANSFER; MONITORING; NUCLEI; NUMERICAL DATA; ORES; ORGANS; PLANTS; POLONIUM ISOTOPES; POPULATIONS; PROCESSING; RADIOISOTOPES; RADIUM ISOTOPES; RESPIRATORY SYSTEM; RUMINANTS; SEPARATION PROCESSES; SOLID WASTES; TAILINGS; THORIUM ISOTOPES; URANIUM ISOTOPES; VERTEBRATES; WASTES; YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES; 510302* - Environment, Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- Terrestrial Ecosystems & Food Chains- (-1987); 560171 - Radiation Effects- Nuclide Kinetics & Toxicology- Man- (-1987); 560172 - Radiation Effects- Nuclide Kinetics & Toxicology- Animals- (-1987); 560173 - Radiation Effects- Nuclide Kinetics & Toxicology- Plants- (-1987); 553000 - Agriculture & Food Technology; 053000 - Nuclear Fuels- Environmental Aspects

Citation Formats

Holtzman, R B, Urnezis, P W, Padova, A, and Bobula, III, C M. Contamination of the human food chain by uranium mill tailings piles. United States: N. p., 1979. Web.
Holtzman, R B, Urnezis, P W, Padova, A, & Bobula, III, C M. Contamination of the human food chain by uranium mill tailings piles. United States.
Holtzman, R B, Urnezis, P W, Padova, A, and Bobula, III, C M. 1979. "Contamination of the human food chain by uranium mill tailings piles". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/6186958.
@article{osti_6186958,
title = {Contamination of the human food chain by uranium mill tailings piles},
author = {Holtzman, R B and Urnezis, P W and Padova, A and Bobula, III, C M},
abstractNote = {A study is in progress to estimate the contamination of the human food chain by uranium, /sup 230/Th, /sup 226/Ra /sup 210/Pb, and /sup 210/Po originating from tailing piles associated with uranium ore processing mills. Rabbits, cattle, vegetables, and grass were collected on or near two uranium mill sites. For controls, similar samples were obtained from areas 20 km or more from the mining and mill operations. For the onsite rabbits the mean /sup 226/Ra concentrations in muscle, lung, and kidney of 5.5, 14, and 15 pCi/kg wet, respectively, were substantially higher than those in the respective tissues of control animals (0.4, 1.5, and 0.2 pCi/kg). The levels in liver did not differ significantly between the groups. The concentrations in bone (femur and vertebra) were about 9000 and 350 pCi/kg ash for the onsite and offsite animals, respectively. The levels of /sup 210/Pb and /sup 210/Po did not differ significantly for a given tissue between the two groups, except that the /sup 210/Pb level in the kidney was greater in the onsite group. For cattle, the concentrations in muscle, liver, and kidney do not differ greatly between those grazed near the pile and the controls. The levels of /sup 226/Ra, and possibly of /sup 210/Pb, appear to be greater in the femur of the animals near the piles. Vegetables from a residential area on a mill site contained substantially greater concentrations of /sup 226/Ra and /sup 210/Pb than those reported for standard New York City diets. Grass and cattle dung from land irrigated by water containing 60 pCi/L /sup 226/Ra from uranium mines had concentrations of /sup 226/Ra and /sup 210/Pb 50 and 8 times, respectively, those in control samples. It is estimated that doubling the normal concentrations in meat and vegetables of uranium and daughter products could increase the dose equivalent rates to the skeletons of persons consuming these foods by 30 or more mrem/yr.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6186958}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1979},
month = {Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1979}
}