The accumulation of toxic heavy metals in mining environments has potential health hazards for humans. One such hazard is inhalation of accumulated heavy metals in fine dust. This study investigates the fate of uranium containing compounds in dusts and sediments from Grant Mineral District, NM, upon inhalation using two simulated lung fluids (SLFs) and PHREEQC3.3.8 modeling software. The Gamble’s solution mimics the human lungs’ interstitial environment whereas Artificial Lysosomal Fluid simulates the lung conditions at phagocytosis. The collected dusts and sediments were agitated in SLFs in custom-built glass reactors maintained at 37°C. The samples were withdrawn periodically and analyzed using an Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). The results indicate uranium dissolution in human lungs depends on mineralogy and mode of transport. The dusts and sediments transported via wind demonstrate higher dissolution in interstitial conditions and those of collected around mine pits had to be phagocytized to obtain a considerable dissolution.

Mineralogy dependent dissolution of inhaled uranium in simulated lung fluids in uranium mine lands, New Mexico

256th National Meeting (2018)

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