Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans is an acidophile that thrives in metal-contaminated environments and tolerates high levels of uranium. To gain a better understanding of the processes involved in U(VI) resistance, comparative proteomics was used. The proteome of A. ferrooxidans was grown in the presence and absence of 0.5 mM U(VI); expression of 17 proteins was upregulated and one was downregulat...

Depleted uranium (DU) is an emerging environmental pollutant that is introduced into the environment primarily by military activity. While depleted uranium is less radioactive than natural uranium, it still retains all the chemical toxicity associated with the original element. In large doses the kidney is the target organ for the acute chemical toxicity of this metal, producing potentially let...

The recovery of uranium and other valuable metals from Polish Peribaltic sandstones were examined. The solid-liquid extraction is the first stage of the technology of uranium production and it is crucial for the next stages of processing. In the laboratory experiments uranium was leached with efficiencies 71-100 % by acidic lixiviants. Satisfactory results were obtained for the alkaline leachin...

The goal of this project is to see if and how uranium (U) may contribute to DNA damage. Radioactive forms of uranium have been used as fuel for nuclear reactors and as fissionable material for atomic weapons, tank armor, and ammunition shells. People who work with or live near processed uranium have experienced higher incidence of lung cancer, which has been attributed to radon, a radioactive d...

In experiments on mice, rabbits, and piglets the distribution of uranium was studied at different times after exposure. Uranium was administered by inhalation (mice) and through the skin (rabbits and piglets). These investigations show that the uptakes of uranium in different organs of the three species are highly dependent on the amounts administered. There seems to be a saturation effect in t...

We engineered a strain of the bacterium Caulobacter crescentus to fluoresce in the presence of micromolar levels of uranium at ambient temperatures when it is exposed to a hand-held UV lamp. Previous microarray experiments revealed that several Caulobacter genes are significantly upregulated in response to uranium but not in response to other heavy metals. We designated one of these genes urcA ...

This paper analyzes several prevalent misconceptions about nuclear fuel cycles that breed fissile uranium-233 from thorium. Its main conclusions are: a Uranium-233, despite the gamma radioactivity of associated isotopes, is a rather attractive material for making fission bombs, and is a credible material for subnational as well as national groups to use for this purpose. e "Pure" thorium cycles...

This work presents experimental results on the distribution of irradiated reactor uranium from fallout after the accident at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in comparison to natural uranium distribution in different soil types. Oxidation processes and vertical migration of irradiated uranium in soils typical of the 30 km relocation area around Chernobyl NPP were studied using 236U as the tr...

Background: Uranium poses both chemical and radiological hazard to the living system. Drinking water from river is one of the major sources of uranium intake. Dissolution of minerals, washout from rain water, rock-water interaction, agricultural run off, and industrial disposals are some of the sources of uranium in river water system. Present study was aimed to determine the uranium in the wat...