# Understanding the role of bedrock, settlement patterns, and water quality in human health

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS MEDICAL CENTER · 2024 · $440,000

## Abstract

Neither populations nor health outcomes are spread evenly across the natural environment. Due to historical patterns of selective land settlement, some populations are more likely to live on land of poor quality. These patterns impact present-day population health outcomes through numerous mechanisms. A key underexplored mechanism linking land quality to health is bedrock lithology—the chemical and physical properties of bedrock—which is linked to population health through water quality. In this study, we will use an interdisciplinary approach to unravel the relationship between bedrock lithology, settlement patterns, water quality, and health outcomes across the state of Oklahoma. This study innovates by piloting a novel methodology for collecting data on water quality and human health, while also showcasing a unique interdisciplinary link between geochemical and public health research. We pursue our research relying upon a conceptual model developed for understanding the role of bedrock in health through three specific aims:
1) Model the relationship between bedrock lithology, land use, settlement, and the uneven distribution of health-related water quality issues in Oklahoma.
2) Collect primary geochemical data to understand the relationship between bedrock lithology and filtration of health-impacting pollutants.
3) Survey households throughout Oklahoma to understand how bedrock lithology is impacting drinking water quality and human health.
By employing a variety of techniques including secondary analysis of government data, primary geochemical data collection, and a novel linked social science and household water survey, we will triangulate the relationship between bedrock lithology, drinking water quality, and health outcomes. These results will form the essential building blocks of a larger proposal for independent R01 funding from the NIH in the future.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10888796
- **Project number:** 1R21ES035448-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Joel Thomas Mueller
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $440,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-08-16 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10888796

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10888796, Understanding the role of bedrock, settlement patterns, and water quality in human health (1R21ES035448-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10888796. Licensed CC0.

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