Biomaterial Database

Occurrence of uranium in drinking water in the U.S. 1983

C R Cothern, and W L Lappenbusch

Uranium is found in ground and surface waters due to its natural occurrence. In some cases, its presence is due to human activities such as mining and milling uranium. Thus, it is also found in drinking water. The range of concentrations existing in drinking water supplies in the U.S. is tabulated and examined. The range of isotopic abundances are also listed. Projections from the available data lead to estimates that of the 59,812 community drinking water supplies in the U.S., 25-650 would exceed a uranium concentration of 20 pCi/l., 100-2000 would exceed 10 pCi/l. and 2500-5000 would exceed 5 pCi/l.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D014481	United States	A country in NORTH AMERICA between CANADA and MEXICO.
D014501	Uranium	A radioactive element of the actinide series of metals. It has an atomic symbol U, atomic number 92, and atomic weight 238.03. U-235 is used as the fissionable fuel in nuclear weapons and as fuel in nuclear power reactors.
D014873	Water Pollutants	Substances or organisms which pollute the water or bodies of water. Use for water pollutants in general or those for which there is no specific heading.	Water Pollutant,Pollutant, Water,Pollutants, Water
D014875	Water Pollutants, Radioactive	Pollutants, present in water or bodies of water, which exhibit radioactivity.	Pollutants, Radioactive Water,Radioactive Water Pollutants
D014881	Water Supply	Means or process of supplying water (as for a community) usually including reservoirs, tunnels, and pipelines and often the watershed from which the water is ultimately drawn. (Webster, 3d ed)	Supplies, Water,Supply, Water,Water Supplies