Potential human health effect(s) of the metal uranium in the environment. Report on the known human health effects associated with the exposure to the metal uranium.

摘要

Concern over the levels of the metal uranium in the environment as a result of industrial activities has been expressed by several Federal and State agencies. This concern is associated with potential human health effects of this metal on kidney function and bone formation. Although limits for the Metal uranium in the environment remain to be set, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently in the process of establishing guidance limits for this metal in water and soil. These limits will be established for both the metal and the associated radioactivity. The suggested limits currently being considered for water and soil are, 20 pCi/liter and 10 pCi/gram wet weight, respectively. For naturally occurring uranium EPA assumes that 1 ug of uranium metal equals 0.67 pCi at equilibrium (i.e. at equilibrium the mass ratio of (sup 234)uranium to (sup 238)uranium is small but their activities are equal). Thus the limits for water and soil on weight basis for the uranium metal would be 30 ug/liter and 15 ug/gram wet weight, respectively. These limits are being established based on the potential increase in cancer death in populations that exceed this limit. Since there does not appear to be a significant correlation between cancer deaths and.uranium metal exposure (see discussion below), these limits will probably be established based on the known association between radionuclides exposure and cancer deaths. The exposure limits for other health effects such as kidney damage and retardation in bone formation apparently are not being considered by EPA.