[ RadSafe ] Fw: Uranium contamination

Thu Mar 25 00:38:19 CDT 2010

Dan, 

Not sure about toxic levels of U in the US, there are so many .orgs dedicated to this you cannot find data.  So perhaps you, as a geologist know more.

I am only going on ancient memories but what about the Redding prong area in PA and western regions mined for heavy metals having levels of U that pose toxicity problems?   Some of the areas in Pennsylvania have been mined for zinc etc. and the USACE says whole towns are highly contaminated with everything under the sun.  Also, mined areas that have been turned acidic I believe sometimes have elevated levels of U and other heavy metals in groundwater.  Uranium, like most heavy metals has a high chemical chemical toxicity.  The question as posed didn't  specify radiological danger.  When I did a search online I found quite a few articles about arsenic from U-mines being toxic, so perhaps the U is not as toxic as other metals used in mining.

And where is that natural plutonium reaction area in Africa I read of years ago.  If true, it had to at one time have large concentrations of U-235 and Unat.  http://www.ead.anl.gov/pub/doc/Plutonium.pdf

Barbara Reider, CHP

-----Original Message-----
From: Dan W McCarn <hotgreenchile at gmail.com>
To: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
Cc: 'Miller, Mark L' <mmiller at sandia.gov>
Sent: Wed, Mar 24, 2010 5:39 pm
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Fw: Uranium contamination

Dear Group:
OK, I'll step in on this one!  About 1/4 of the US is directly underlain
ith uranium-bearing soils and rock, specifically those underlain by the
hattanooga Shale, Pierre Shale or Mancos Shale.  Typical concentrations of
ranium in these marine black shales are 80-120 ppm or about 0.01% U.
hosphorites also contain significant uranium at about the same
oncentration.  Florida has abundant occurrences / deposits of uraniferous
arine phosphorites.
That being said, the uranium in these rocks are fairly tightly bound
rganically.  Uranium which might occur in other rock types would tend to
ose uranium fairly quickly on exposure to meteoric conditions except under
ertain conditions (availability of vanadium).
We had a discussion about this subject two or three years ago including
alculations for the "English Garden".  I did a recalculation for
hattanooga shale soils about that time.
There are other modes of reconcentration in soils including pedogenic
alcretes which tend to concentrate U by evaporative pumping in the desert
W. Also called hardpan, duricrusts, pedocretes and caliche, they can be
ormed from silica (silcretes), calcium carbonate (calcretes), or gypsum
gypcretes).  The Ogallala Fm from Texas to the Dakotas contains uraniferous
edogenic silcretes.
That doesn't answer your question, but perhaps covers some of the ranges of
oil concentrations associated with a common rock type.
Dan ii
--
an W McCarn, Geologist
867 A Fuego Sagrado
anta Fe, NM 87505
1-505-310-3922 (Mobile - New Mexico)
otGreenChile at gmail.com (Private email)
-----Original Message-----
rom: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Jerry Cohen
ent: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 15:06
o: Miller, Mark L; radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
ubject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Fw: Uranium contamination
Can anyone suggest any reasonable set of conditions where soil contamination
ith uranium might constitute a credible threat to health and safety ?
erry Cohen 
PS: It is now springtime, or as Al Gore suggests,  "Proof of global warming"

________________________________
rom: "Miller, Mark L" <mmiller at sandia.gov>
o: Jerry Cohen <jjcohen at prodigy.net>
ent: Wed, March 24, 2010 10:16:53 AM
ubject: RE: [ RadSafe ] Fw:  Uranium  contamination
As with everything, the answer is, "It depends."  A pathway analysis (like
ESRAD) can tell you if a problem exists, it's magnitude and the most likely
athway(s) of exposure.  The devil's in the dose.  Armed with that, you can
HEN ask, "Now what"?  The "what" might be "no action" or appropriately
argeted action.
-----Original Message-----
rom: Jerry Cohen [mailto:jjc105 at yahoo.com] 
ent: Tuesday, March 23, 2010 4:24 PM
o: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
ubject: [ RadSafe ] Fw: Uranium contamination

oes the existence of Uranium contamination in soil constitute a credible
hreat to heath and safety, or is this just another costly federal
feel-good" program? If such uranium contamination is really a problem, what
hould be done with the millions of tons of uranium in the oceanic coastal
aters. We even are allowing children to swim in it. 
erry Cohen
_______________________________
rom: Cary Renquist <cary.renquist at ezag.com>
o: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
ent: Fri, March 19, 2010 6:10:01 PM
ubject: [ RadSafe ] Argonne scientists seek natural remediation for
ranium-rich sites
They are looking to understand and optimize the conditions under which
acteria can 
ransform U(IV) <soluble> to U(VI) <insoluble>
Argonne scientists seek natural remediation for uranium-rich sites 
ink  http://j.mp/b3AHAh
ary
- 
ary.renquist at ezag.com
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