Voices from the Field: Uranium in the Navajo Nation

Paul Charp is a senior health physicist with ATSDR’s Division of Community Health Investigations (DCHI). DCHI works to reduce person’s exposures to toxic substances. A health physicist is an individual who has specific training in radiation safety protecting people and their environment from potential radiation hazards. The typical health physicist has an understanding of many scientific disciplines including physics, biological sciences, engineering, and chemistry.

Water and the Navajo Nation

Water is precious in the dry Southwest, but not always safe. In the lands of the Navajo Nation—covering parts of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah (the Four Corners area)—some water has unhealthy levels of toxic materials including metals such as arsenic , selenium, and vanadium as well as radioactive materials including uranium and radium. Some of that material comes from uranium that was mined and mill-processed on Navajo lands during 1944 to 1986.

Uranium is a radioactive element found in many minerals, granite and basaltic rocks, soils, air, and water. When ingested, uranium is stored in the skeleton and slowly released to the blood where it is eliminated by the kidneys. In chemically high doses, uranium can damage your kidneys, which are the body’s organ that filter blood. Uranium that you breathe in can damage your throat and lungs. Because of mining and processing on the Navajo Nation, the risk for exposure to high levels of uranium is greater than other areas of the country. It seeps through the ground to both surface water and groundwaters. Also the wind will transport uranium and its decay products in the forms of dust from uranium deposits and more than 500 abandoned mines on Navajo lands.

Workshop about Uranium

Uranium is one of many toxic substances that Charp and DCHI investigate and educate the public about to help reduce exposures. As part of his activities, Charp visits contaminated sites. Some of these site visits last a few days, and the resulting work will require anywhere from a few days or weeks to years of effort. During the visits, he meets with local residents and officials and explains to them the health effects of the radioactive substances that are being investigated or that have been discovered at the site.

In 2011, Charp participated in a 2-day workshop to teach the Navajo people about uranium. The workshop was part of ongoing efforts by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ATSDR, and other agencies to address uranium contamination on the Navajo Nation. The workshop also included updates on clean-up efforts and health research, such as the ATSDR Navajo Birth Cohort Study. During his presentation, Charp described the physical and chemical properties of uranium and potential health effects. He also talked about indoor radon, which is a decay product of uranium.

Uranium is found nearly everywhere, but usually in amounts considered harmless. It can be in the foods we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. “We more than likely already have uranium in our bodies,” Charp says. “Most of it will leave our bodies in a matter of days.” In some instances, however, Charp found high levels of uranium ores in the yards of homes within feet of where children played. Uranium and other contaminants have also been found in wells and open water sources used by some Navajo families.

Tips for Families

Some of the things families can do to lower their risk for exposure to high levels of uranium include the following:

1. Avoid eating root vegetables and fruits that are grown in soils with high levels of uranium. If you can’t avoid it, then wash the vegetables and fruits and throw away the outside portions.
2. If you suspect that your drinking water might contain high levels of uranium, then have it tested. If high levels are found, consider using bottled water or installing a special treatment unit.
3. Don’t let children play near a site that has high levels of uranium. Young children are likely to eat the dirt. Also teach your children to wash their hands often, especially before they’re about to eat.