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Study: Two major U.S. aquifers contaminated by natural uranium (mobilized by human actions)
http://newsroom.unl.edu/releases/2015/08/17/Study%3A+Two+major+U.S.+aquifers+contaminated+by+natural+uraniu[font face=Serif][font size=5]Study: Two major U.S. aquifers contaminated by natural uranium[/font]
Released on 08/17/2015, at 2:01 AM
Office of University Communications
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
[font size=3]Lincoln, Neb., August 17th, 2015 — Nearly 2 million people throughout the Great Plains and California live above aquifer sites contaminated with natural uranium that is mobilized by human-contributed nitrate, according to a study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Data from roughly 275,000 groundwater samples in the High Plains and Central Valley aquifers show that many Americans live less than two-thirds of a mile from wells that often far exceed the uranium guideline set by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The study reports that 78 percent of the uranium-contaminated sites were linked to the presence of nitrate, a common groundwater contaminant that originates mainly from chemical fertilizers and animal waste. Nitrate mobilizes naturally occurring uranium through a series of bacterial and chemical reactions that oxidize the radioactive mineral, making it soluble in groundwater.
UNL researchers Karrie Weber and Jason Nolan found that the High Plains aquifer contains uranium concentrations up to 89 times the EPA standard and nitrate concentrations up to 189 times greater. The uranium and nitrate levels of the California-based Central Valley aquifer measured up to 180 and 34 times their respective EPA thresholds.
…[/font]
Released on 08/17/2015, at 2:01 AM
Office of University Communications
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
[font size=3]Lincoln, Neb., August 17th, 2015 — Nearly 2 million people throughout the Great Plains and California live above aquifer sites contaminated with natural uranium that is mobilized by human-contributed nitrate, according to a study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Data from roughly 275,000 groundwater samples in the High Plains and Central Valley aquifers show that many Americans live less than two-thirds of a mile from wells that often far exceed the uranium guideline set by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The study reports that 78 percent of the uranium-contaminated sites were linked to the presence of nitrate, a common groundwater contaminant that originates mainly from chemical fertilizers and animal waste. Nitrate mobilizes naturally occurring uranium through a series of bacterial and chemical reactions that oxidize the radioactive mineral, making it soluble in groundwater.
UNL researchers Karrie Weber and Jason Nolan found that the High Plains aquifer contains uranium concentrations up to 89 times the EPA standard and nitrate concentrations up to 189 times greater. The uranium and nitrate levels of the California-based Central Valley aquifer measured up to 180 and 34 times their respective EPA thresholds.
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The intensity of groundwater contamination via uranium (red) and nitrate (blue) is shown in two major aquifers and other sites throughout the nation. UNL researcher Karrie Weber says the availability of uranium data pales compared to that of nitrate. (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
