from the won't-you-take-a-ride-ride-ride-on-heavy-metal dept.
Even at low concentrations, uranium in particular represents an important risk factor for the development of chronic diseases. Until now little epidemiological research had been done on chronic water uranium exposures despite the potential health effects of uranium exposure from CWSs. Uranium in particular, has been underappreciated in the literature as a public drinking water contaminant of concern. The study results are published in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health.
"Previous studies have found associations between chronic uranium exposure and increased risk of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, kidney damage, and lung cancer at high levels of exposure," said Anne Nigra, PhD, assistant professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. "Our objectives were to estimate CWS metal concentrations across the U.S, and identify socio-demographic subgroups served by these systems that either reported high metal concentration estimates or were more likely to report averages exceeding the US EPA's maximum contaminant level (MCL)."
Approximately 90 percent of U.S. residents rely on public drinking water systems, with most residents relying specifically on community water systems that serve the same population year-round. The researchers evaluated six-year EPA review records for antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, mercury, selenium, thallium, and uranium to determine if average concentrations exceeded the maximum contaminant levels set by the EPA which regulates levels for six classes of contaminants. This included approximately 13 million records from 139,000 public water systems serving 290 million people annually. The researchers developed average metal concentrations for 37,915 CWSs across the country, and created an online interactive map of estimated metal concentrations at the CWS and county levels to use in future analyses.
According to findings 2·1 percent of community water systems reported average uranium concentrations from 2000 to 2011 in exceedance of the EPA maximum contamination levels, and uranium was frequently detected during compliance monitoring (63% of the time). Arsenic, barium, chromium, selenium, and uranium concentrations were also disproportionately elevated in CWSs serving semi-urban, Hispanic populations, raising concerns for these communities and the possibility of influencing inequalities in public drinking water.
Journal Reference:
Filippo Ravalli, et. al.,Sociodemographic inequalities in uranium and other metals in community water systems across the USA, 2006–11: a cross-sectional study, THE LANCET,(DOI: 10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00043-2)
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 08 2022, @08:24PM (1 child)
If we stop testing, we won't see bad news like this. Stop. Testing. Idiots.
(Score: 5, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 08 2022, @09:41PM
But if we stop testing idiots, how will we know? You could elect one to be president. That would be horrible!
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 08 2022, @08:26PM
Worked for Spiderman, should work for Americans... maybe their superpower is the ability to haul around large amounts of excess fat?
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 08 2022, @08:32PM (2 children)
They like the hot sauce, just sayin'.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 08 2022, @09:17PM (1 child)
Uranium comes from Uranus.
Proof that aliens visited Mesoamerica and built their pyramids.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 09 2022, @08:06PM
If Uranium comes from Uranus, where does Arsenic come from...?
(Score: 4, Interesting) by ElizabethGreene on Friday April 08 2022, @08:51PM (6 children)
If there is a negative health correlation it should be blatantly obvious in Iranian epidemiology data. They have high uranium concentrations in their native sandstone that is likely also present in their aquifers.
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 08 2022, @09:10PM (4 children)
> If there is a negative health correlation it should be blatantly obvious in Iranian epidemiology data
The data are confounded by the fact that Jesus hates Muslims, so any diseases they have could just be a taste of what's in store for them in the afterlife.
(Score: 0, Offtopic) by Runaway1956 on Friday April 08 2022, @10:18PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnWPLJbtLk8 [youtube.com]
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 0, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 08 2022, @10:37PM (1 child)
Not a fact. In fact, the contrary is the case, and reciprocally.
You know who does hate Muslins? Racist poorly educated American evangelical faux-Christians, or white straight male ignorant moron Republican voters, they are the ones who need somebody to hate! Lock somebody up! Woke! SJWs! Libtards! Stupid intellectual college professors that are smarter than them. Pathetic, and the afterlife, if there is one, will be a surprise.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 09 2022, @08:04PM
> the afterlife, if there is one
There isn't.
> will be a surprise.
It won't. Grow up.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 09 2022, @09:14PM
Take the water to the mountain;
Take the river to the sea.
Let the forest be salvation
Long before it needs to be.
Take the water to the mountain;
Let your body flow upstream.
Let it cascade off your shoulders;
Be the body of your dreams.
Take the water to the mountain;
Let the sun shine on your ground.
You decide your every movement;
Let the water to the land.
Take the water to the mountain;
Cross the Great Divide of Love.
Give to Nature all you can give;
Let the Mother know your heart.
Take the water to the mountain;
Let's become alive again.
Holy water, holy mountain,
Holy river, holy tree.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Reziac on Saturday April 09 2022, @02:57AM
Fact is ground water everywhere leaches whatever minerals it passes through. A ways up the road from me it's arsenic, because it occurs naturally in the rocks. (Drill down to second water, and the concentration is much lower.)
Seems to me TFA intends to frighten (OMG uranium must be nuclear contamination!!1!!1!) rather than elucidate.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 08 2022, @11:20PM (2 children)
I have tritium in my water too. That maybe not so much.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 08 2022, @11:26PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGQUVuC4hVQ [youtube.com]
(Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Saturday April 09 2022, @10:19AM
Don't forget the deuterium. Heavy water is highly toxic and is used as a moderator in nuclear power plants used to make nuclear weapons OMG OMG
(Score: 2) by Barenflimski on Friday April 08 2022, @11:30PM (2 children)
There is no doubt that you will die on earth. This planet is doing nothing but trying to kill you. Free will? Only if you're picking a book at the library or a recipe out of the betty crocker cook book. If you've convinced yourself otherwise, you're crazy.
I take my Uranium with 2 sugars please.
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 08 2022, @11:41PM
That will was just a complex chain of causes and effects. You were always destined to pick up that particular book, or read this comment.
(Score: 0, Offtopic) by khallow on Saturday April 09 2022, @12:43PM
Well, duh. Not like we're going to pay for that.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 09 2022, @02:18AM (3 children)
Garbage science meant to stir up outrage.
(Score: 2) by driverless on Saturday April 09 2022, @11:46AM (1 child)
Hey! Fox News isn't science!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 09 2022, @08:10PM
It's the science THEY WON'T TELL YOU!11
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 09 2022, @04:58PM
Just right to put on SN then.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 09 2022, @08:08PM (1 child)
Which smells like sewer and tastes like chlorine.
Results 18.67 CPM 0.12uSv/h
Background Average 9 CPM 0.06uSv/h
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 09 2022, @08:14PM
Son, that was the handwash. And stop eating with your fingers. This is a classy joint.