Recent aspects of uranium toxicology in medical geologyShow others and affiliations
2017 (English)In: Environmental Research, ISSN 0013-9351, E-ISSN 1096-0953, Vol. 156, p. 526-533Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Uranium (U) is a chemo-toxic, radiotoxic and even a carcinogenic element. Due to its radioactivity, the effects of U on humans health have been extensively investigated. Prolonged U exposure may cause kidney disease and cancer. The geological distribution of U radionuclides is still a great concern for human health. Uranium in groundwater, frequently used as drinking water, and general environmental pollution with U raise concerns about the potential public health problem in several areas of Asia. The particular paleo-geological hallmark of India and other Southern Asiatic regions enhances the risk of U pollution in rural and urban communities. This paper highlights different health and environmental aspects of U as well as uptake and intake. It discusses levels of U in soil and water and the related health issues. Also described are different issues of U pollution, such as U and fertilizers, occupational exposure in miners, use and hazards of U in weapons (depleted U), U and plutonium as catalysts in the reaction between DNA and H2O2, and recycling of U from groundwater to surface soils in irrigation. For use in medical geology and U research, large databases and data warehouses are currently available in Europe and the United States.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2017. Vol. 156, p. 526-533
Keywords [en]
Uranium, Environment, Mining, Health, Depleted uranium, Drinking water
National Category
Environmental Sciences
Research subject
Natural Science, Environmental Science
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-66904DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2017.04.010ISI: 000403735300063PubMedID: 28431380Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85017520327OAI: oai:DiVA.org:lnu-66904DiVA, id: diva2:1126193
2017-07-132017-07-132019-08-29Bibliographically approved