In Iraq, war contamination is the result of dispensed bombs, bullets, detonation of chemical and conventional weapons, and burn-pit emissions by US bases. Increases in congenital anomalies were reported from Iraqi cities post-2003. These cities were heavily bombed and encircled by US bases with burn-pits. Thorium is a radioactive compound and a direct depleted-uranium decay-product. Radioactive materials, including depleted uranium, are routinely stored in US bases and they have been shown to leak into the environment. We conducted a case-control study to investigate associations of residential proximity to Tallil Air Base, a US military base near Nasiriyah, as well as levels of uranium and thorium in hair and deciduous teeth with congenital anomalies. The study was based on a sample of 19 cases and 10 controls who were recruited during late Summer and early Fall of 2016. We developed mixed effects logistic regression models with village as the random effect, congenital anomaly as the outcome and distance to the US base and hair metal levels (one at a time) as the predictor variable, controlling for child's age, sex and paternal education. We also explored the mediation of the association between proximity to the base and congenital anomalies by hair metal levels. We found an inverse association between distance to Tallil Air Base and risk of congenital anomalies and hair levels of thorium and uranium. The results of our mediation analyses were less conclusive. Larger studies are necessary to understand the scope of war contamination and its impact on congenital anomalies in Iraq.

The specific activities of natural (²¹⁰Pb, ²²⁶Ra, and ²³²Th) and artificial (¹³⁷Cs, ²³⁹,²⁴⁰Pu, and ²⁴¹Am) radionuclides in the sediments of two North Caucasus lakes were determined. The two lakes, Lake Khuko and Lake Donguz-Orun, differ in their sedimentation conditions. Based on the use of unsupported ²¹⁰Pbₑₓ and both Chernobyl-derived and bomb-derived ¹³⁷Cs as chronological markers, it was established that the sedimentation rates in Lake Khuko over the past 55–60 y did not exceed 0.017 cm y⁻¹. Sedimentation rates in Lake Donguz-Orun were found to be more than an order of magnitude higher. In the latter case, the sedimentation rates for the period from 1986 to the present were over 1.5 times higher than they were for the period 1963–1986. The differences in sedimentation rates were due to differences in the rates of denudation of their respective catchment areas. The specific activities of artificial radionuclides (¹³⁷Cs, 2600 Bq kg⁻¹; ²³⁹,²⁴⁰Pu, 162 Bq kg⁻¹; and ²⁴¹Am, 36 Bq kg⁻¹) and their ratios in the sediments of Lake Khuko show that their deposition was mainly due to global stratospheric fallout of technogenic radionuclides associated with nuclear bomb testing during 1954–1963—rather than fallout from the Chernobyl accident. Several factors, including the mode of precipitation, features of the surface runoff, and location of Lake Khuko, were responsible for the accumulation of artificial radionuclides.

Bats are particularly suited as bioindicators of trace element pollution due to their longevity and their position in the trophic chain. In this study, the concentrations of ten non-essential trace elements (Al, As, Ba, Cd, Hg, Pb, Sb, Sr, Th, Tl) were determined in the tissues (whole body, skin-fur, skinned body, liver, kidney and bone) of lactant Tadarida teniotis from a nursery colony in Rome. A large number of bats from this nursery died before fledging and had bone deformities and fractures. The concentrations of non-essential trace elements in bone and whole body were also analysed in adult specimens of Miniopterus schreibersii from a colony located in a natural park in Northern Italy. In lactant T. teniotis, the Pb concentration decreased in the following order: bone>liver>skinned body>whole body>skin-fur>kidney, and exceeded the toxic threshold associated with negative effects reported for different mammalian species. The levels of the other non-essential trace elements were within a range indicative of low environmental contamination in both species. Significant interspecies differences (P < 0.05) were observed for concentrations of Pb and Ba, higher in the bones of T. teniotis, and of Cd, Hg and Sr, higher in the bones of M. schreibersii. In lactant T. teniotis, the different sources of Pb exposure, through inhalation and/or food, may represent a potential threat to the colony of this synanthropic European bat.

Both occupational and environmental exposure to asbestos-mineral fibres can be associated with lung diseases. The pathogenic effects are related to the dimension, biopersistence and chemical composition of the fibres. In addition to the major mineral elements, mineral fibres contain trace elements and their content may play a role in fibre toxicity. To shed light on the role of trace elements in asbestos carcinogenesis, knowledge on their concentration in asbestos-mineral fibres is mandatory. It is possible that trace elements play a synergetic factor in the pathogenesis of diseases caused by the inhalation of mineral fibres. In this paper, the concentration levels of trace elements from three chrysotile samples, four amphibole asbestos samples (UICC amosite, UICC anthophyllite, UICC crocidolite and tremolite) and fibrous erionite from Jersey, Nevada (USA) were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). For all samples, the following trace elements were measured: Li, Be, Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Rb, Sr, Y, Sb, Cs, Ba, La, Pb, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Th, U. Their distribution in the various mineral species is thoroughly discussed.The obtained results indicate that the amount of trace metals such as Mn, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu and Zn is higher in anthophyllite and chrysotile samples, whereas the amount of rare earth elements (REE) is higher in erionite and tremolite samples. The results of this work can be useful to the pathologists and biochemists who use asbestos minerals and fibrous erionite in-vitro studies as positive cyto- and geno-toxic standard references.

The establishment of a screening index would be a powerful tool to decide whether abandoned uranium mining areas should be rehabilitated or decommissioned. Thus, in this work we established a radiological index which uses the activity concentrations of different groups of gamma emitters from the natural radioactive series of ²³⁸U, ²³⁵U, and ²³²Th, as well as ⁴⁰K and ¹³⁷Cs. These activity concentrations were calculated by using the absorbed gamma radiation dose value of 175 nGy h⁻¹ specified in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations. We studied our index in an abandoned uranium mining area in Salamanca, Western Spain, and found that the most influential factors in this area were the presence of organic matter in the soil and the possible effect that plants and fungi may have on the retention of these aforementioned radionuclides. In addition, the results showed that contaminants are migrating in an easterly direction in line with the prevailing wind direction and we were able to identify areas in which the radiological risk is likely high. The mean effective dose rate was 2.51 ± 0.98 mSv y⁻¹ which was equivalent to the levels obtained in previous works.

Radioactive pollution comes on the top of pollution types that affect human life directly through damaging the human genome or indirectly via his food web. The current study focused on the evaluation of radiation effects of Assiut Thermal Power Plant (ATPP) ashes on two crop plants, potato and squash, in terms of morphological and molecular levels. More particularly, the specific activity concentrations were measured in Bq/kg, of the ²³⁸U (²²⁶Ra) and ²³²Th series, and ⁴⁰K-isotope for the untreated soil sample (control) and ATPP ash sample (represents the radioactive source with 100% concentration). Different concentrations of ATPP ash (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8%) were mixed with soil sample to study the effect of radioactively contaminated soil on potato and squash plants. The results of the present investigation revealed that the morphological characteristics of both potato and squash plants were changed, which reflected a steep regression in the values of all vegetative growth and yield traits. The alterations of the characteristic values were directly proportional to the radioactive ash concentration in the soil. In the same context, the molecular evaluation using PCR-based markers, e.g., ISSR and SCoT helps in understanding and explaining experimental observations at morphological level. ISSR/SCoT bands confirmed the toxicity and mutagenicity of radioactive ash samples at their present dose on both potato and squash plants. The present findings clearly explained the morphometric and genetic abnormalities in two of the main consumed crops by a human. Thus, the green area around the ATPP may disappear in the future due to increasing the pollution in terms of the radioactive component that directly attached to plants or indirectly by mixing with soil.

Next to the city of Huelva (SW of Spain), around 100 Mt of phosphogypsum (PG) are stored in stacks on the salt-marshes of the Tinto River estuary covering a surface of about 1000 ha. Due to the high content of ²³⁸U series natural radionuclides of the PG, its acidic nature (pH about 3), and the fact that PG stacks were disposed without any kind of isolation from the substrate, they could produce a potential radioactive impact into the underlying sediments.The aim of this work is to assess the pollution of the underlying sediments by natural radionuclides coming from the PG stacks. To this end, seven cores were taken, and PG and sediments samples collected at different depths were analysed. The activity concentrations of the main long half-live natural radionuclides of interest were determined by applying both gamma-ray and alpha-particle spectrometry radiometric techniques.The results of this study showed that the first decimeters of salt-marsh sediment act as a “barrier” for the radionuclides coming from the PG stacks decreasing rapidly its activity concentration in depth, affecting mainly sediments located in the first 20 cm below the contact due to mixing processes. While ²³⁰Th, ²²⁶Ra and ²¹⁰Pb pollution is mainly restricted to the first 20 cm of sediments, U-isotopes can reach higher depths (up to around 50 cm) by leaching processes due to their lower reactivity and higher concentration in the polluted leachates. The obtained results have high relevance for the design of the perimeter channel which is projected to build in the restoration project, suggesting that should has around 1 m deep under the base of the PG stacks, to ensure the full collection of polluting leachates, and to prevent their release into the estuary of the Tinto River.

Huelva is a highly industrialized city in SW Spain hosting, among others, a Cu smelter, a phosphate fertilizer plant, a power plant, and oil refineries. This study aims to evaluate metal concentrations in lichens as bioindicators of atmospheric pollution in the impacted urban areas. Xanthoria parietina species from Huelva and nearby villages, as well as reference samples from remote, non-contaminated urban areas, were analyzed for trace elements (V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr, As, Cd, Sb, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Pb, Th, U) using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry; and for major elements (Ca, K, Mg, P, and S) by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry after acid digestion.The metal composition of X. parietina exhibits spatial distribution patterns with extremely elevated concentrations (Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Sb, Ba, Pb, U, and S) in the surroundings of the industrial estates to <1 km distance. Mean concentrations were significantly lower in the urban areas >1 km from the pollution sources. However, air pollution persists in the urban areas up to 4 km away, as the mean concentrations of Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Sb and S remained considerably elevated in comparison to the reference samples. Though rigorous source apportionment analysis was not the aim of this study, a good positive correlation of our results with metal abundances in ambient particulate matter and in pollution sources points to the Cu smelter as the main source of pollution. Hence, the severe air pollution affecting Huelva and nearby urban areas may be considered a serious health risk to local residents.

Determinations of the mobility of metals from tailings is a critical part of any assessment of the environmental impacts of mining activities. The leaching of thorium and uranium from the tailings of different processing stages of a niobium mine was investigated for several pH, ionic strengths and concentrations of natural organic matter (NOM). The pH of the leaching solution did not have a noticeable impact on the extraction of Th, however, for pH values below 4, increased U mobilization was observed. Similarly, only a small fraction of Th (0.05%, ≤15 μg kg⁻¹) and U (1.22%, ≤6 μg kg⁻¹) were mobilized from the tailings in the presence of environmentally relevant concentrations of Ca, Mg or Na. However, in the presence of 10 mg L⁻¹ of fulvic acid, much higher concentrations of ca. 700 μg kg⁻¹ of Th and 35 μg kg⁻¹ of U could be extracted from the tailings. Generally, colloidal forms of Th and dissolved forms of U were mobilized from the tailings, however, in the presence of the fulvic acid, both dissolved and colloidal forms of the two actinides were observed. Single Particle ICP-MS was used to confirm the presence of Th (and U) containing colloids where significant numbers (up to 10⁷ mL⁻¹) of Th and U containing colloids were found, even in 0.2 μm filtered extracts. Although mass equivalent diameters in the range of 6–13 nm Th and 6–9 nm for U could be estimated (based upon the presence of an oxyhydroxide), most of the colloidal mass was attributed to larger (>200 nm) heterocomposite particles.

One of the most important reasons for the controversy over the development of nuclear energy is the proper disposal of spent fuel. Separation of actinide and lanthanide ions is an important part of safe long-term storage of radioactive waste. Herein, a three-dimensional (3D) graphene-based macrostructure (GOCS) was utilized to remove actinide thorium and lanthanide europium ions from aqueous solutions. The adsorption of Eu(III) and Th(IV) on the GOCS was evaluated as a function of adsorption time, solution pH, initial ion concentrations, and ionic strength. The experimentally determined maximum adsorption capacities of this GOCS for Eu(III) (pH 6.0) and Th(IV) (pH 3.0) are as high as 150 and 220 mg/g, respectively. By using Fourier transformation infrared (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron (XPS), and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy, we concluded that the Eu(III) and Th(IV) adsorption was predominantly attributed to the inner-sphere coordination with various oxygen- and nitrogen-containing functional groups on GOCS surfaces. Our selective adsorption results demonstrate that the actinide and lanthanide ions can be effectively separated from transition metal ions. This study provides new clues to the overall recycling of actinide and lanthanide ions in radioactive environmental pollution treatments.