Plant versus local soil inorganic ionic composition: The relationship to biomass smoke.

We examine the relationship between soil and plant inorganic chemical composition as a precursor to biomass smoke aerosol particle (PM) properties in desert landscapes of the Southwestern United States. Past work underscored the importance of plant species and in particular the dependence of smoke PM water uptake on the water-soluble inorganics important in select plant species (e.g.

The fate of inhaled uranium-containing particles upon clearance to gastrointestinal tract.

Uranium-bearing respirable dust can cause various health problems, such as cardiovascular and neurological disorders, cancers, immunosuppression, and autoimmunity. Exposure to elevated levels of uranium is linked to many such health conditions in Navajo Nation residents in northwestern New Mexico. Most studies have focused on the fate of inhaled dust particles (<4 μm) in the lungs.

Mineralogy Controlled Dissolution of Uranium from Airborne Dust in Simulated Lung Fluids (SLFs) and Possible Health Implications.

The recent increase in cardiovascular and metabolic disease in the Navajo population residing close to the Grants Mining District (GMD) in New Mexico is suggested to be due to exposure to environmental contaminants, in particular uranium in respirable dusts. However, the chemistry of uranium-containing-dust dissolution in lung fluids and the role of mineralogy are poorly understood, as is their impact on toxic effects. The current study is focused on the dissolution of xcontaining-dust, collected from several sites near Jackpile and St.