Quantification of Elemental Contaminants in Unregulated Water across Western Navajo Nation

The geologic profile of the western United States lends itself to naturally elevated levels of arsenic and uranium in groundwater and can be exacerbated by mining enterprises. The Navajo Nation, located in the American Southwest, is the largest contiguous Native American Nation and has over a 100-ye...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors:	Jonathan Credo, Jaclyn Torkelson, Tommy Rock, Jani C. Ingram
Format:	Article
Language:	English
Published:	MDPI AG 2019-07-01
Series:	International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Subjects:	unregulated water Navajo arsenic uranium manganese
Online Access:	https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/15/2727

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spelling	doaj-bee61e2b8800418cbfef54dceee455072020-11-24T21:29:50ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health1660-46012019-07-011615272710.3390/ijerph16152727ijerph16152727Quantification of Elemental Contaminants in Unregulated Water across Western Navajo NationJonathan Credo0Jaclyn Torkelson1Tommy Rock2Jani C. Ingram3College of Medicine Clinical Translational Science Graduate Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USADepartment of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Northern Arizona University, P.O. Box 5698, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USADepartment of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Northern Arizona University, P.O. Box 5698, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USADepartment of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Northern Arizona University, P.O. Box 5698, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USAThe geologic profile of the western United States lends itself to naturally elevated levels of arsenic and uranium in groundwater and can be exacerbated by mining enterprises. The Navajo Nation, located in the American Southwest, is the largest contiguous Native American Nation and has over a 100-year legacy of hard rock mining. This study has two objectives, quantify the arsenic and uranium concentrations in water systems in the Arizona and Utah side of the Navajo Nation compared to the New Mexico side and to determine if there are other elements of concern. Between 2014 and 2017, 294 water samples were collected across the Arizona and Utah side of the Navajo Nation and analyzed for 21 elements. Of these, 14 elements had at least one instance of a concentration greater than a national regulatory limit, and six of these (V, Ca, As, Mn, Li, and U) had the highest incidence of exceedances and were of concern to various communities on the Navajo Nation. Our findings are similar to other studies conducted in Arizona and on the Navajo Nation and demonstrate that other elements may be a concern for public health beyond arsenic and uranium.https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/15/2727unregulated waterNavajoarsenicuraniummanganese
collection	DOAJ
language	English
format	Article
sources	DOAJ
author	Jonathan Credo Jaclyn Torkelson Tommy Rock Jani C. Ingram
spellingShingle	Jonathan Credo Jaclyn Torkelson Tommy Rock Jani C. Ingram Quantification of Elemental Contaminants in Unregulated Water across Western Navajo Nation International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health unregulated water Navajo arsenic uranium manganese
author_facet	Jonathan Credo Jaclyn Torkelson Tommy Rock Jani C. Ingram
author_sort	Jonathan Credo
title	Quantification of Elemental Contaminants in Unregulated Water across Western Navajo Nation
title_short	Quantification of Elemental Contaminants in Unregulated Water across Western Navajo Nation
title_full	Quantification of Elemental Contaminants in Unregulated Water across Western Navajo Nation
title_fullStr	Quantification of Elemental Contaminants in Unregulated Water across Western Navajo Nation
title_full_unstemmed	Quantification of Elemental Contaminants in Unregulated Water across Western Navajo Nation
title_sort	quantification of elemental contaminants in unregulated water across western navajo nation
publisher	MDPI AG
series	International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
issn	1660-4601
publishDate	2019-07-01
description	The geologic profile of the western United States lends itself to naturally elevated levels of arsenic and uranium in groundwater and can be exacerbated by mining enterprises. The Navajo Nation, located in the American Southwest, is the largest contiguous Native American Nation and has over a 100-year legacy of hard rock mining. This study has two objectives, quantify the arsenic and uranium concentrations in water systems in the Arizona and Utah side of the Navajo Nation compared to the New Mexico side and to determine if there are other elements of concern. Between 2014 and 2017, 294 water samples were collected across the Arizona and Utah side of the Navajo Nation and analyzed for 21 elements. Of these, 14 elements had at least one instance of a concentration greater than a national regulatory limit, and six of these (V, Ca, As, Mn, Li, and U) had the highest incidence of exceedances and were of concern to various communities on the Navajo Nation. Our findings are similar to other studies conducted in Arizona and on the Navajo Nation and demonstrate that other elements may be a concern for public health beyond arsenic and uranium.
topic	unregulated water Navajo arsenic uranium manganese
url	https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/15/2727
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Quantification of Elemental Contaminants in Unregulated Water across Western Navajo Nation

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