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Writing in the August edition of Environmental Science and Technology Letters, Jason Nolan and Karrie A. Weber of the University of Nebraska report unsafe levels of uranium in groundwater from California's San Joaquin Valley and from the Ogallala Aquifer underlying Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Wyoming and South Dakota.
In Natural Uranium Contamination in Major U.S. Aquifers Linked to Nitrate they note a correlation between concentrations of uranium and nitrate ions in the groundwater samples they tested. They theorize that the nitrate, a major component of fertilizer, can oxidize uranium from U(IV) to U(VI), making it water-soluble. They found that in the San Joaquin Valley, uranium reached as much as 180 times the maximum contaminant level (MCL) set by the Environmental Protection Agency, and nitrate was as much as 34 times the MCL. Samples from the Ogallala Aquifer had as much as 89 times the MCL of uranium and 189 times the MCL of nitrate.
Water from these aquifers is used for drinking and for irrigation. Soluble uranium is bioaccumulated by certain food crops; uranium in the human body can result in cancer and kidney damage.
The Associated Press also reported on the story.
(Score: 2) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Wednesday December 09 2015, @11:12AM
Go look through your food cupboards. Wherever you are in Europe or the US, chances are good you have something in there from the San Joaquin Valley. Raisins? Nice bottle of Californian Merlot? Be sure to keep the receipts so that when you get cancer you can sue the state of California.
In other news, could this become a new way of harvesting uranium? Kind of like fracking: Pump nitrates into soil, dissolve the U into water, collect the water, extract Uranium?
(Score: 4, Funny) by c0lo on Wednesday December 09 2015, @11:30AM
Too expensive, lotsa water to evaporate.
Better process the ashes of the cremated deceased before releasing the ashes to the family - all the costs except the last step are supported by your... mmmm... raw material sources.
On a more serious note, using biological structures for leaching/concentrating minerals is not a new idea [wikipedia.org]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 09 2015, @12:32PM
Good example of using an oxymoron for humour/sarcastic effect.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 09 2015, @04:21PM
Maybe I'll start biasing towards Sonoma County wines, as far as the West Coast is concerned.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by frojack on Wednesday December 09 2015, @08:17PM
Who you gonna sue, God?
Quote TFA:
Uranium (U) contamination of groundwater has been primarily associated with anthropogenic activities such as mining, milling, nuclear testing, and disposal of spent nuclear fuel. However, groundwater U concentrations across the United States exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) MCL of 30 μg/L in many regions, including those without anthropogenic U activity, indicating a source of natural U contamination.
The results revealed widespread U and nitrate co-contamination of groundwater and implicate alkalinity and calcium as geochemical parameters that co-control U contamination.
All indications are that it is totally natural and has been going on since the Pleistocene.
Do you really think those horizon to horizon buffalo herds didn't poop?
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Reziac on Thursday December 10 2015, @04:08AM
On that note:
1) Edwards AFB, primarily a research facility, was located in the Mojave Desert because even way back when, the ground there was considered too naturally-radioactive for long-term human occupancy. This factoid came up when some wit decided to sue 'em for contaminating the environment. No, God did it. Or the big bang did it, if you prefer. (Indeed, there are uranium mines in the area. There's also little to no groundwater, or it's very deep -- 250 to 1500 feet down, below several layers of solid rock.)
2) A while back I was researching bison vs cattle, and was surprised to learn that in the olden days, there were about 20 million more bison in North America than there are cattle today. Which given how much bigger bison are, equals 2-3 times the total biomass on the hoof, and therefore 2-3 times as much poop.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 2) by gnuman on Thursday December 10 2015, @03:58AM
In other news, could this become a new way of harvesting uranium? Kind of like fracking: Pump nitrates into soil, dissolve the U into water, collect the water, extract Uranium?
Actually, an in-situ recovery for Uranium that is especially popular in Kazakhstan and starting to be popular in other places (including US) is,
1. drill a bunch of holes in the ground, call them wells
2. pump in battery acid into them
3. suck it out from adjacent holes
4. collect acid with dissolved uranium
5. extract uranium and acid (about 70% effective, 30% of acid is "missing")
6. eventually, neutralize remaining acid in the wells.
and proponents say this is better than normal mining because "soil is undisturbed".