Project 2 - Environmental Project 2 - EP2 - Toxic Metals in Airborne Particulate Matter Originating from Abandoned Uranium Mine (AUM) Sites

项目2 -环境项目2 -EP 2-项目摘要 纳瓦霍族和拉古纳普韦布洛部落土地上的废弃铀矿 是环境污染的主要来源，由于 含有铀（U）、钒（V）、铜（Cu）、砷（As）的有毒金属混合物的活化。的 有毒金属混合物向空气中的运输以及吸入暴露的可能性， 以严格的方式进行调查。拟议的研究将调查潜在的接触危害， 来自三个不同AUM站点的吸入颗粒物（PM）导致的有毒金属混合物 位于新墨西哥州和亚利桑那州的拉古纳普韦布洛部落土地上的纳瓦霍民族。本项目将处理 两个具体目标：1）确定AUM中金属混合物的物理、化学和矿物学特征， 受影响的土壤和评估对风力运输的脆弱性; 2）开发一个过程模型， 从AUM站点重新悬浮和运输含金属PM，以估计附近的暴露风险 弱势群体。对于过程模型，我们将a）确定颗粒尺寸分布， 来自AUM站点的含金属PM的矿物学特征以及暴露于 在各种气象条件下生活在区域空气流通区内的弱势群体;以及B）开展 该地区的源受体建模，整合来自三个性能站点的信息， 纳瓦霍社区成员的长期估计。拟议的研究将利用最先进的 监测、化学、成像和大气建模技术，以提供关于 浓度、形态、价态、溶解度等，不同尺寸的金属， 纳米颗粒尺度，这是必不可少的，以评估潜在的毒性和吸入暴露风险的PM。的 结果将减少有关金属含量、暴露浓度和AUM来源的不确定性， 相关的PM暴露在风险降低战略中。

PROJECT 2 - ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECT 2 – EP2 - PROJECT SUMMARY Abandoned uranium mines (AUM) situated on the tribal lands of the Navajo Nation and Laguna pueblo represent a major source of environmental contamination that threatens public health as a result of mobilization of toxic metals mixtures bearing uranium (U), vanadium (V), copper (Cu), arsenic (As). The transport of toxic metals mixtures into the air, and the potential for inhalational exposures, has never been investigated in a rigorous manner. The proposed research will investigate the potential exposure hazards to toxic metals mixtures resulting from inhalation of particulate matter (PM) derived from three different AUM sites located on Navajo Nation on Laguna Pueblo tribal lands in New Mexico and Arizona. The project will address the two specific aims: 1) Defining the physical, chemical and mineralogic profile of metals mixtures in AUM- impacted soils and assessing vulnerability to transport by wind; and 2) Developing a process model for the resuspension and transport of metal-bearing PM from AUM sites to estimate exposure risks for nearby vulnerable communities. For the process model, we will a) ascertain the particle size distributions and mineralogic characteristics of metal-bearing PM originating from AUM sites and the exposure potential to vulnerable populations living in the regional airshed under varied meteorological conditions; and b) conduct source-receptor modeling for the region, integrating information from three performance sites and deriving long-term estimates for Navajo community members. The proposed research will utilize state-of-the-art monitoring, chemical, imaging and atmospheric modeling techniques to provide a comprehensive dataset on the concentrations, speciation, valence, solubility, etc., of metals in different size fractions down to the nanoparticle scale that are essential to evaluate the potential toxicity and inhalation exposure risk for PM. The results will reduce uncertainty regarding the metal content, exposure concentrations, and sources of AUM- related PM exposures in risk reduction strategies.