Uranium detectable in two-thirds of US community water system monitoring records
Highest concentrations were found for Hispanic communities
Date:
April 7, 2022
Source:
Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health
Summary:
A study on metal concentrations in U.S. community water systems
(CWS) and patterns of inequalities, researchers found that
metal concentrations were particularly elevated in CWSs serving
semi-urban, Hispanic communities independent of location or region,
highlighting environmental justice concerns. These communities
had the highest levels of uranium, selenium, barium, chromium,
and arsenic concentrations. Even at low concentrations, uranium in
particular represents an important risk factor for the development
of chronic diseases.
FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A study on metal concentrations in U.S. community water systems (CWS)
and patterns of inequalities, researchers at Columbia University Mailman
School of Public Health found that metal concentrations were particularly elevated in CWSs serving semi-urban, Hispanic communities independent of location or region, highlighting environmental justice concerns. These communitieshad the highest levels of uranium, selenium, barium, chromium,
and arsenic concentrations.
==========================================================================
Even at low concentrations, uranium in particular represents an
important risk factor for the development of chronic diseases. Until now
little epidemiological research had been done on chronic water uranium exposures despite the potential health effects of uranium exposure from
CWSs. Uranium in particular, has been underappreciated in the literature
as a public drinking water contaminant of concern. The study results
are published in the journalThe Lancet Planetary Health.
"Previous studies have found associations between chronic uranium
exposure and increased risk of hypertension, cardiovascular disease,
kidney damage, and lung cancer at high levels of exposure," said Anne
Nigra, PhD, assistant professor of Environmental Health Sciences at
Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.
"Our objectives were to estimate CWS metal concentrations across the U.S,
and identify sociodemographic subgroups served by these systems that
either reported high metal concentration estimates or were more likely
to report averages exceeding the US EPA's maximum contaminant level
(MCL)." Approximately 90 percent of U.S. residents rely on public
drinking water systems, with most residents relying specifically on
community water systems that serve the same population year-round. The researchers evaluated six-year EPA review records for antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, mercury, selenium, thallium,
and uranium to determine if average concentrations exceeded the maximum contaminant levels set by the EPA which regulates levels for six classes
of contaminants. This includedapproximately 13 million records from
139,000 public water systems serving 290 million people annually. The researchers developed average metal concentrations for 37,915 CWSs across
the country, and created an online interactive map of estimated metal concentrations at the CWS and county levels to use in future analyses.
According to findings 2.1 percent of community water systems reported
average uranium concentrations from 2000 to 2011 in exceedance of the
EPA maximum contamination levels, and uranium was frequently detected
during compliance monitoring (63% of the time). Arsenic, barium, chromium, selenium, and uranium concentrations were also disproportionately elevated
in CWSs serving semi- urban, Hispanic populations, raising concerns for
these communities and the possibility of influencing inequalities in
public drinking water.
Nigra and her colleagues note that the consistent association between
elevated CWS metal concentrations and semi-urban, Hispanic communities
implies that concentration disparities are a failure of regulatory policy
or treatment rather than underlying geology. Hispanic/Latino populations
show numerous health disparities including increased mortality due to
diabetes, as well as liver, kidney, and cardiovascular disease.
"Additional regulatory policies, compliance enforcement, and improved infrastructure are therefore necessary to reduce disparities in CWS metal concentrations and protect communities served by public water systems
with elevated metal concentrations," said Nigra. "Such interventions and policies should specifically protect the most highly exposed communities
to advance environmental justice and protect public health.
Co-authors are Filippo Ravalli, Kathrin Schilling Yuanzhi Yu, and Ana
Navas- Acien, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health;
Benjamin C Bostick, and Steven N Chillru, Lamont Doherty Earth
Observatory, Columbia University; and Anirban Basu, University of London.
The study was supported by the US National Institutes for Environmental
Health Sciences, grants P42ES010349, P30ES009089, R01ES028758,
R21ES029668, and 5T32ES007322; the U.S. National Institutes of Health
Office Of The Director and National Institute Of Dental & Craniofacial Research, grant DP5OD031849.
Detailed interactive map of public water contaminants:
https:// msph.shinyapps.io/drinking-water-dashboard/
========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Columbia_University's_Mailman_School_of_Public_Health.
Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
========================================================================== Related Multimedia:
* Maps_of_metals_in_US_public_water_systems ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Filippo Ravalli, Yuanzhi Yu, Benjamin C Bostick, Steven N Chillrud,
Kathrin Schilling, Anirban Basu, Ana Navas-Acien, Anne E Nigra.
Sociodemographic inequalities in uranium and other metals in
community water systems across the USA, 2006-11: a cross-sectional
study. The Lancet Planetary Health, 2022; 6 (4): e320 DOI:
10.1016/S2542-5196 (22)00043-2 ==========================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220407101125.htm
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