CONTAMINANT OF THE MONTH
Uranium
What it is:
• Uranium is an element that naturally occurs in
rocks, soil and water. When refined, it is a shiny
gray, weakly radioactive metal.
• Uranium is 65 percent more dense than lead.
• People started using uranium in the 1st century
to add color to ceramic glazes.
• The German chemist Martin Klaproth is credited with its discovery in 1789.
•In 1841, Eugene-Melchior Peligot became the
first person to isolate uranium as a metal.
• Through his work with uranium metals, French
physicist Henri Becquerel discovered the process
of radioactivity.
• The military uses uranium to power ships and
submarines and for nuclear weapons.
•Uranium is also used to fuel nuclear power
plants.
Occurrence:
•Higher concentrations of uranium can be
found in phosphate rock deposits and minerals
such as uraninite.
•It can be dispersed in the environment through natural processes like rain,
wind and erosion. Rocks containing uranium
can be broken down into dust and then carried
by rain or wind into streams and lakes.
• Uranium can leach into groundwater from mineral deposits.
• Many phosphate fertilizers have high concentrations of uranium.
Health effects:
• Uranium can enter a person’s body when it is
inhaled or ingested and will not absorb through the
skin.
•About 99 percent of the uranium a person
ingests through food or water will leave their system in feces.
•Exposure to uranium can lead to increased
risk of kidney disease, bone cancer, liver cancer,
lung cancer and blood diseases like leukemia.
Regulation:
•Under the Clean Air Act, the maximum dose
an individ-
ual can be
exposed to
is 10 millirem of
uranium.
Sources: US Environmental Protection Agency,
the New Mexico Environment Department and
the New Mexico Department of Health.
