background: the south-west coast of india is known to have very high levels of natural background radiation due to the monazite beach sand. uranium is the heaviest trace element found in all terrestrial substances at varying levels with chemical and radio toxicities. it supports several short-lived radioisotopes in its decay series including radium. uranium in drinking water is important in ter...

The physicochemical characterization of uranium(V1) in seawater is described on the basis of species distribution calculations and experiments using polarography and spectrophotometry in artificial seawater at elevated uranium concentrations. Various dissolved uranium(W) species are identified under different conditions of pH and carbonate concentration. Below pH 4, the hydrated uranyl ion is p...

The mining and export of uranium and the impacts (and risks) of the nuclear industry have long been a contentious issue in Australia. The ongoing debate primarily relates to the established and potential dangers of ionizing radiation released to the environment from nuclear facilities, such as uranium mines or research reactors. By 2002, three uranium milling projects are operating with a furth...

This paper discusses the development of and proposed enhancements to a colorimetric test for the detection of uranium in biological samples such as urine. The goal of this work is to develop a technique for the detection of uranium that could: 1) be conducted rapidly and accurately; 2) would not require extensive sample preparation; 3) would not require expensive or complicated instrumentation;...

Uranium contamination is a worldwide problem. Preventing uranium contamination in the environment is quite challenging and requires a thorough understanding of the microbiological, ecological and biogeochemical features of the contaminated sites. Bioremediation of uranium is largely dependent on reducing its bioavailability in the environment. In situ bioremediation of uranium by microbial proc...

OBJECTIVES To assess the distribution and risk factors of depleted uranium uptake in military personnel who had taken part in the invasion of Iraq in 2003. METHODS Sector field inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SF-ICP-MS) was used to determine the uranium concentration and (238)U/(235)U isotopic ratio in spot urine samples. The authors collected urine samples from four groups iden...

During the Persian Gulf War, soldiers were injured with depleted uranium (DU) fragments. To assess the potential health risks associated with chronic exposure to DU, Sprague Dawley rats were surgically implanted with DU pellets at 3 dose levels (low, medium and high). Biologically inert tantalum (Ta) pellets were used as controls. At 1 day and 6, 12, and 18 months after implantation, the rats w...

Apatite contains only traces of uranium, yet as apatite is a minor constituent in most rocks and the major constituent of a few very large deposits, it accounts, paradoxically, for both dispersal and concentration of uranium in nature. Uranium typically makes up 0.001 to 0.01 percent of primary igneous apatite and 0.005 to 0.02 percent of sedimentary marine apatite. Marine reworked apatite beco...

Kidney tissue sections were obtained at autopsy from seven persons with a history of low level occupational exposure to uranium and histologically compared in a blind study with similar sections obtained from six reference cases. The pathologist was unable to identify the uranium workers or any uranium-specific nephropathy. This suggests that the chronic low level of kidney uranium concentratio...

Although stimulation of dissimilatory metal reduction to promote the reductive precipitation of uranium has been shown to successfully remove uranium from some aquifer sediments, the organisms in the family Geobacteraceae that have been found to be associated with metal reduction in previous studies are not known to grow at the high salinities found in some uranium-contaminated groundwaters. St...