The energy needs of our society are becoming a challenge. One energy source, nuclear power, is entirely dependent on uranium. Increasingly, physicians are opposing the mining of uranium. In the 1980s, family physician Dr Robert Woollard led a task force that resulted in a provincial moratorium on uranium mining in British Columbia.1 In autumn 2009 in Sept-Îles, Que, more than 20 physicians thre...

The uranium content of several human tooth, bone and soft tissue samples was determined by the fission tract method. The average uranium content in teeth, bones and soft tissues were 6.7, 8.4 and 64 ppb ash, respectively. The distribution of uranium in bones is less uniform than that of teeth, and the uranium content of soft tissues is generally higher than that of teeth and bone. The presence ...

Contamination of vadose zone sediments under tank BX-102 at the Hanford site, Washington, resulted from the accidental release of 7-8 metric tons of uranium dissolved in caustic aqueous sludge in 1951. We have applied synchrotron-based X-ray spectroscopic and diffraction techniques to characterize the speciation of uranium in samples of these contaminated sediments. UIII-edge X-ray absorption f...

There is no place on the Earth, the planet we live on, where the natural background radiation level is zero. Since the birth and even in our fetal stage, we have been exposed to different sources of natural radiation. Life, in fact, evolved in a radiation environment that was much more harsh than today. Earth serves as a source of terrestrial radiation. Uranium, thorium, and radium are among th...

The northern Asia, including the southern territories of Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia and the northern China is known as an important distribution region of uranium deposits and occurrences. Since the 60s of 20th century, after the successful development of in-situ leach technology for sandstone-hosted uranium deposits, numerous uranium deposits previously discovered in Kazakhstan a...

Animal studies and small studies in humans have shown that uranium is nephrotoxic. However, more information about its renal effects in humans following chronic exposure through drinking water is required. We measured uranium concentrations in drinking water and urine in 325 persons who had used drilled wells for drinking water. We measured urine and serum concentrations of calcium, phosphate, ...

The current study was attributed to uranium (VI) ions adsorption using a anion exchanger resin, Dowex®2x8, in the presence of sulfate anions. Evaluation of operational parameters including contact time, pH, initial concentration of uranium ions, and presence of various anions (including phosphate, sulfate, chloride, fluoride, and nitrate) in the solution was assessed on sorption performance of ...

CONTEXT Private wells that tap groundwater are largely exempt from federal drinking-water regulations, and in most states well water is not subject to much of the mandatory testing required of public water systems. Families that rely on private wells are thus at risk of exposure to a variety of unmeasured contaminants. CASE PRESENTATION A family of seven--two adults and five children--residin...

Uranium-containing glass samples with an age of 140–145 million years were collected within the volcanic rocks largest volcanic-related uranium ore deposit in world. Main features their composition are high concentrations silica and uranium, for this type. In contrast to this, ages fresh (unaltered) low-silica natural glasses a basic (basalts) usually do not exceed few years. The is unstable at...