Many uranium mining operations were conducted on Navajo Nation lands in the mid 1900s. Cameron, Arizona is a community that is surrounded by abandoned open pit uranium mines. The uranium mining, as well as the higher levels of arsenic found in the Northern Arizona region where Cameron is located, has led to health concerns for the community. This study aims to quantify the uranium and arsenic in the soil of the Cameron area, as well as determine if the concentrations of either uranium or arsenic are significantly impacted by depth. Soil was collected in summer 2015 from the Cameron area from a variety of different geographic features, including near mine waste piles and from river banks. Samples were taken of the topsoil as well as from a variety of depths below the topsoil. The soil was left for several days to dry, after which it was sifted and milled. Samples were then put into a furnace to remove organic matter, and went through a process of acid digestion. The samples were then analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). This study is being conducted alongside analyses of other mediums including livestock and water for uranium and arsenic content in the hopes of creating a more complete overlook of possible contamination sources for the community.

Characterization of uranium and arsenic in soil and sediment collected from southwestern Navajo reservation

251st National Meeting (2016)

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