Elevated Concentrations of U and Co-occurring Metals in Abandoned Mine Wastes in a Northeastern Arizona Native American Community

Blake, Johanna M.; Avasarala, Sumant; Artyushkova, Kateryna; Ali, Abdul Mehdi S.; Brearley, A. J.; Shuey, Christopher; Robinson, Wm. Paul; Nez, Christopher; Bill, Sadie; Lewis, Johnnye; Hirani, Chris; Pacheco, Juan S. Lezama; Cerrato, José M.

doi:10.1021/acs.est.5b01408

Cited by 90 publications

(127 citation statements)

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“…Sediment samples from the site included mine waste and baseline reference soil (background soil) previously characterized by Blake et al, 2015. 6 The Blake et al study used powder X-ray diffraction to identify quartz (SiO 2 ; 59%) potassium feldspar (KAlSi 3 O 8 ; 34%), and kaolinite (Al 2 Si 2 O 5 (OH) 4 ; 7%) as the major mineralogical constituents. Additionally the co-occurrence of U and V, and predominance of U(VI) and V(V) were identified using microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) techniques.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…6 Results showed that U and V co-occur in mine wastes predominantly as U(VI) and V(V). The Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) fittings suggest that U and V coordination in these mine waste samples is similar to that of minerals such as carnotite or tyuyamunite.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1, 2 For instance, the negative health impacts of human exposure to uranium (U) and vanadium(V) through inhalation and ingestion have been well documented. 3, 4 Uranium and V co-occur at numerous abandoned mine waste sites on the Navajo Nation territory near the four corners region of the southwestern U.S. 5, 6 Uranium and other co-occurring metals from these mine wastes can be released into neighboring water resources affecting their water quality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These mine waste sites are usually exposed to ambient surface oxidizing conditions in which U(VI) is predominant. 6, 7 Aqueous U(VI) can complex with OH − and CO 3 2− , or react with alkaline earth metals and CO 3 2− to form neutral or negatively charged ternary complexes (e.g., U-Ca-CO 3 2− ) that affect U mobility in water. 8, 9 Vanadium preferentially forms anionic [V 10 O 26 (OH) 2 4− , V 10 O 27 (OH) 5− , V 10 O 28 6− , VO 2 (OH) 2− , VO 3 (OH) 2− , VO 4 3− , V 2 O 6 (OH) 3− , V 2 O 7 4− , V 3 O 9 3− , and V 4 O 12 4− ], cationic [VO 2+ ], and neutral [VO(OH) 3 ] species of oxyanions and aqueous complexes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…27, 28, 33 This study was developed based on our prior evidence that suggested U–V bearing mineral phases as the potential source to U and V release from Blue Gap/Tachee mine wastes. 6 Our integrated approach of using microscopy and reactive transport modeling serves as a foundation to better understand the mechanisms affecting the reactivity of mine wastes and the transport of U and V under environmentally relevant conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reactive Transport of U and V from Abandoned Uranium Mine Wastes

Avasarala¹,

Lichtner

Ali³

et al. 2017

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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The reactive transport of uranium (U) and vanadium(V) from abandoned mine wastes collected from the Blue Gap/Tachee Claim-28 mine site in Arizona was investigated by integrating flow-through column experiments with reactive transport modeling, and electron microscopy. The mine wastes were sequentially reacted in flow-through columns at pH 7.9 (10 mM HCO3−) and pH 3.4 (10 mM CH3COOH) to evaluate the effect of environmentally relevant conditions encountered at Blue Gap/Tachee on the release of U and V. The reaction rate constants (km) for the dissolution of uranyl–vanadate (U–V) minerals predominant at Blue Gap/Tachee were obtained from simulations with the reactive transport software, PFLOTRAN. The estimated reaction rate constants were within 1 order of magnitude for pH 7.9 (km = 4.8 × 10−13 mol cm−2 s−1) and pH 3.4 (km = 3.2 × 10−13 mol cm−2 s−1). However, the estimated equilibrium constants (Keq) for U–V bearing minerals were more than 6 orders of magnitude different for reaction at circumneutral pH (Keq = 10−38.65) compared to acidic pH (Keq = 10−44.81). These results coupled with electron microscopy data suggest that the release of U and V is affected by water pH and the crystalline structure of U–V bearing minerals. The findings from this investigation have important implications for risk exposure assessment, remediation, and resource recovery of U and V in locations where U–V-bearing minerals are abundant.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reactive Transport of U and V from Abandoned Uranium Mine Wastes

Avasarala¹,

Lichtner

Ali³

et al. 2017

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Mine Waste Effects on Water and Soil in Native American Land in WesternUSA

Cerrato

DeVore

Velasco

2019

Encyclopedia of Water

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The legacy of mining activities on Native American land has resulted in an extensive number of sites with elevated metal concentrations in water and soil; many of these sites have received limited or no remedial action. The reclamation and cleanup of these sites represents a major burden for communities, and authorities at the tribal, state, and federal levels. The limited knowledge of the characteristics of these sites limits the ability to adequately assess the risk to metal exposures among communities living near these sites and develop feasible remediation alternatives. This article attempts to critically synthesize the state of the problem and provide an overview of the existing knowledge related to the occurrence, transport, and remediation of metals in these abandoned mine waste sites. The physical and biogeochemical aspects reviewed in this article have relevant implications for Native American communities, decision‐makers, stakeholders, and environmental scientists.

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Health and Safety Effects of Airborne Soil Dust in the Americas and Beyond

Tong

Baklanov

Barker

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Risks associated with dust hazards are often underappreciated, a gap between the knowledge pool and public awareness that can be costly for impacted communities. This study reviews the emission sources and chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of airborne soil particles (dust) and their effects on human and environmental health and safety in the Pan-American region. American dust originates from both local sources (western United States, northern Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina) and long-range transport from Africa and Asia. Dust properties, as well as the trends and interactions with criteria air pollutants, are summarized. Human exposure to dust is associated with adverse health effects, including asthma, allergies, fungal infections, and premature death. In the Americas, a well-documented and striking effect of soil dust is its association with Coccidioidomycosis, commonly known as Valley fever, an infection caused by inhalation of soil-dwelling fungi unique to this region. Besides human health, dust affects environmental health through nutrients that increase phytoplankton biomass, contaminants that diminish water supply and affect food (crops/ fruits/vegetables and ready-to-eat meat), spread crop and marine pathogens, cause Valley fever among domestic and wild animals, transport heavy metals, radionuclides and microplastics, and reduce solar and wind power generation. Dust is also a safety hazard to road transportation and aviation, in the southwestern US where blowing dust is one of the deadliest weather hazards. To mitigate the harmful effects, coordinated regional and international efforts are needed to enhance dust observations and prediction capabilities, soil conservation measures, and Valley fever and other disease surveillance.Plain Language Summary Soil particles suspended in the air, commonly known as dust, impose substantial risks to many sectors of society, including human health, environmental health, transportation safety and the general economy. This work focuses on the dust effects in the Pan-American region, where the knowledge is rather fragmented, but impacts are costly.

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Elevated Concentrations of U and Co-occurring Metals in Abandoned Mine Wastes in a Northeastern Arizona Native American Community

Cited by 90 publications

References 45 publications

Reactive Transport of U and V from Abandoned Uranium Mine Wastes

Reactive Transport of U and V from Abandoned Uranium Mine Wastes

Mine Waste Effects on Water and Soil in Native American Land in WesternUSA

Health and Safety Effects of Airborne Soil Dust in the Americas and Beyond

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