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

> **NIH NIH P42** · UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR · 2020 · $213,877

## Abstract

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.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9903353
- **Project number:** 5P42ES025589-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Adrian J Brearley
- **Activity code:** P42 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $213,877
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9903353

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9903353, Project 2 - Environmental Project 2 - EP2 - Toxic Metals in Airborne Particulate Matter Originating from Abandoned Uranium Mine (AUM) Sites (5P42ES025589-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9903353. Licensed CC0.

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