Uranium bioaccumulation

Tran, D., J.C. Massahuau, and J. Gamier-Laplacet. 2004. Effect of carhon dioxide on uranium bioaccumulation in the freshwater clam Corbicula ftuminea. Environ Toxicol. Chem. 23 739-747. 

Most popular schemes used to collect analytes are based on coordination reactions and electrostatic attraction. Common examples include the accumulation of nickel onto dimethylglyoxime-containing surfaces [39], the uptake and voltammetry of mercury on a diphenylcarbazide-carbon paste electrode [40], the use of surface-bound crown ethers for the collection and measurements of lead [41], or of trioctylphosphine oxide for the preconcentration of uranium [42], and the utility of polyelectrolyte-coated electrodes for the electrostatic collection of counterionic reactants [43,44], Bioaccumulation through binding to surface-bound microorganisms [45] or biocatalytic processes [46] can also offer the desired sensitivity and selectivity enhancements. 

Haas, J. R., Bailey, E. H. Purvis, O. W. (1998). Bioaccumulation of metals by lichens Uptake of aqueous uranium by Peltigera membranacea as a function of time and pH. American Mineralogist, 83, 1494-502. 

A given pollutant may penetrate in soil down to a specific depth, and therefore transport calculations need individual depth data. Owing to mass transport restrictions, residence times of many pollutants in soils are (unfortunately) much longer than those in the gas or liquid phases. In addition, partitioning effects in soils can be dramatic a case in point is the concentration effect that occurs with uranium, which sometimes reaches levels up to 104 times higher than its concentration in water with which the soil is in equilibrium. Biota plays a key role in the transport and mobilization of pollutants from soil, because for example, many of them bioaccumulate in vegetation and cattle (see Section 9.2). 

Polonium is found in the natural environment, especially in uranium and thorium ores. Of seven natural radionuclides of polonium, Po is the most important. It is an alpha emitter with energy of 5.305 MeV and half-life of 138.376 days [24]. Polonium is a very radiotoxic element and undergoes strong bioaccumulation in land and aquatic organisms [1]. 

Monleau, M., Bussy, C., Lestaevel, P., Houpert, P., Paquet, F., Chazel, V. (2005). Bioaccumulation and behavioural effects of depleted uranium in rats exposed to repeated inhalations. Neurosci. Lett. 390 31-6. 

Numerous factors influence the bioaccumulation of uranium, such as the chemical and physical form of the uranium the season of the year and other climatic factors such as temperature, age of the organism, specific tissue or organs involved and the specific characteristics of the local ecosystem, such as total suspended and dissolved solids. Bioconcentration factors for uranium have been measured by several investigators in various aquatic organisms. Mahon (1982) measured bioconcentration factors of 1,576 and 459 in algae and plankton, respectively. Horikoshi et al. (1981) determined bioconcentration factors in several species of bacteria that ranged from 2,794 to 354,000. However, bioconcentration by the bacteria represented adsorption onto the cell surfaces of the bacteria rather than true biological uptake. 

Food Chain Bioaccumulation, information about uranium bioaccumulafion in fish (Mahon 1982 Poston 1982 Swanson 1983 Waite et al. 1988) is available. Also data concerning levels of uranium in various foods (EPA 1985j) are available. These data indicate that uranium does not biomagnify in the food chain (Ahsanullah and Williams 1989 Morishima et al. 1977 Swanson 1983,1985). Data on the... 

Poston TM. 1982. The bioaccumulation potential of thorium and uranium in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri). Bull Environ Cont Toxicol 28 682-690. 

Yong P and Macaskie LE (1998) Bioaccumulation of lanthanum, uranium and thorium, and use of a model system to develop a method for the biologically-mediated removal of plutonium from solution. J Chem Technol Biotechnol 71 15-26. 

Plants can serve as bioaccumulators of uranium, a topic that has recently received special attention after the accidents at the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear power plants. Frame 3.1 verbally quotes parts of a notice published in one of the leading scientific journals in the field of environmental monitoring (CaldweU et al. 2012). 

The uranium content in plants can serve for monitoring contaminants in the environment (Caldwell et al. 2012). Samples of plants, soil, sediments, water, and common biota were collected from flve distinct sites in the vicinity of a uranium processing facility with the objective of studying transport pathways and selecting the plants that are efficient bioaccumulators of uranium. Plant root samples were dipped... 

Bioaccumulation of uranium in marine birds was studied (Borylo et al. 2010). Dead bodies of three species of birds (sea birds, wintering birds, and migratory birds) were collected and dissected. A tracer was added to the biological samples that were mineralized, the uranium was separated on an anion exchange resin, and electrodeposited on stainless steel disks for alpha spectrometry. The distribution of the uranium content and the activity ratio among the different organs... 

Highlights The broad assortment of samples presented in this section indicates the variability encountered by environmental samples. Uranium content in aerosols is usually associated with health physics considerations in facilities where uranium is mined, milled, and processed or in neighboring communities that may be affected by these activities. In general, exposure from airborne uranium containing particulates is very rare so the environmental interest is rather limited. Bioaccumulation by bacteria is still something of anecdotal interest, although it may be applied to bioremediation. Uranium that may enter the food chain is of concern, and several studies have focused on its content in vegetation and meat products. The analytical methods for all these samples are not unique and even the sample preparation techniques are similar to those described in detail in the previous sections. 

In fact, the presence of such inorganic arsenic (As(V/III)), fluoride (F ) and uranium (U(VI)) species (mostly ions) in groundwater (and to less extent in surface water) is a critical global issue, and has created severe health impacts for decades. Bioaccumulation and adverse effects on human health by intake of these ions via drinking water have been well documented (e.g., Fawell et al., 2006 Qrloff et al., 2004 Smedley and Kinniburgh, 2002). 

Giovanetti, A., Fesenko, S., Cozzella, M.L., et al., 2010. Bioaccumulation and biological effects in the earthworm Eiseniafetida exposed to natural and depleted uranium. J. Environ. Radioact. 101, 509-516. 

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