Monitoring uranium mine pollution on Native American lands: Insights from tree bark particulate matter on the Spokane Reservation, Washington, USA.

The uranium boom in the United States from the 1940's to the 1980's was a period of extensive uranium mining on Native American lands. However, detailed environmental investigations of the resulting uranium pollution are sparse and typically ignore contributions from airborne particulate matter. The Midnite Mine is a 350-acre inactive open pit uranium mine located on the Spokane Indian Reservation in eastern Washington that operated from 1954 to 1981.