Uranium contaminant dissolution in simulated lung fluid and pulmonary surfactant

摘要

The goal of this research was to determine the dissolution rate of uranium in simulated lung fluid and whether the presence of pulmonary surfactant changes the rate of uranium dissolution. Samples of soil contaminated with uranium were collected from the dirt floor of an abandoned metal rolling mill that rolled uranium metal stock in the 1940s and 1950s . The solubility of uranium is important in predicting fate of the contamination in the environment and the risk to humans. A series of experiments were performed using a standard recipe for simulated lung fluid (SLF). This was modified by the addition of a lung surfactant to determine if a difference in the dissolution rate exists.