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This powerpoint presentation begins by providing a brief overview of uranium, including radioactivity, toxicity, health effects, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Radionuclide Rule. The case of Dinwiddie County, Virginia is presented where uranium (U) levels monitored from 1980-2004ranged from 80-101 g/L, which is on average 3 times above theUSEPA MCL. The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) determined that the wells in question had to bemonitored to achieve compliance with the new MCL. An epidemiology study was conducted to determine current concentrations of urineuranium (before U treatment) in affected residents and evaluate potentialdamage to the participant's kidneys and repeat biomonitoring 1 yr. later (afterU treatment) (Wyatt et al. 2008). The study included measurements of pH, uranium, retinol-binding protein(RBP), and creatinine levels from participants' urine samples. Ion exchange technology was selected for experimental approach, and study conclusions indicate that: a direct correlation of U levels in residential drinking water with U levelsfound in residents of households of a Community Water System can be made; levels of uranium above the USEPA MCL of 30 g/L are a concern in drinkingwater because of the known uranium toxicity affecting kidney function; in a small community in Dinwiddie County, U levels measured 3 times theUSEPA MCL for drinking water, which resulted in high U concentrations in urinesamples from residents that participated in an epidemiological study; and, before WRT's U treatment system, high RBP concentrations in 3 participants'urine indicated initial stages of damage to kidneys but decreased to normalRBP levels 6 months after WRT's U treatment system became operational. Includes tables, figures.

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Edition: Vol. - No. Published: 11/01/2009 Number of Pages: 38File Size: 1 file , 4.3 MB