In Vitro Dissolution of Uranium-Contaminated Soil in Simulated Lung Fluid Containing a Pulmonary Surfactant

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bowen J ; Glasser S ; Hoffman MK ; Spitler G ; Spitz, Henry
• Description:
  During the latter part of the twentieth century, the United States developed a highly technical nuclear weapons complex that involved workers at many facilities performing complex missions at a number of different industrial sites across the country. Now, many of these sites are being remediated to remove legacy materials including chemical and radioactive wastes. Along with remediation comes the responsibility to adequately assess risk to cleanup workers who could be exposed to any hazardous materials, including resuspended uranium dust, encountered during environmental restoration. Inhalation of resuspended uranium represents one of the exposure hazards at an abandoned former metal rolling mill where approximately 11 thousand tons of uranium metal was rolled between 1947 and 1958. Residual uranium contamination in the dirt floor of this abandoned site has been exposed to rain, ice, snow, and other environmental factors for more than 50 y. This report describes the solubility of the uranium contamination in this dirt measured in vitro using a modified recipe for simulated lung fluid that contains a pulmonary surfactant. Small (0.1 g) aliquots of dirt collected at this site were sequentially dissolved in simulated lung fluid for increasing periods of time up to 30 d. Solubility was classified according to the ICRP categories as fast, medium, and slow. Results demonstrate that the solubility designation for the uranium contamination in the dirt is approximately 50% fast, 15% medium, and 35-40% slow. There was no observed difference in solubility when a pulmonary surfactant was added to the simulated lung fluid. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Chemistry Dust Environment Environmental Exposure Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Metals Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Contamination Chemical Properties Environmental Factors Exposure Exposure Levels Human Industrial Hazards In Vitro Study Lungs Metal Compounds Metal Dusts Metallic Compounds Nuclear Properties Nuclear Wastes Occupational Radioactive Wastes Radioactivity Residual Risk Factors Uranium Uranium Compounds Work Environment Workers

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• ISSN:
  0017-9078
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  336-343
• Volume:
  108
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20049988
• Citation:
  Health Phys 2015 Mar; 108(3):336-343
• Contact Point Address:
  Henry Spitz, University of Cincinnati, College of Engineering & Applied Science, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Nuclear & Radiological Engineering, 598 Rhodes Hall, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0072
• Email:
  henry.spitz@uc.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Uranium (CAS RN 7440-61-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• Performing Organization:
  University of Cincinnati
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Health Physics
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f2175a218f416eb8fe2293b12dd30b769b20b6e388b3b65da0fd367b6d061eec9a668ae80f1c9cae534ed1d78377755852ab52705faca515900a40d168e44cf5
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/210553/cdc_210553_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 193.14 KB ]