From dust to dose: Effects of forest disturbance on increased inhalation exposure

The Science of the Total Environment
Jeffrey J WhickerCraig F Eberhart

Abstract

Ecosystem disturbances that remove vegetation and disturb surface soils are major causes of excessive soil erosion and can result in accelerated transport of soils contaminated with hazardous materials. Accelerated wind erosion in disturbed lands that are contaminated is of particular concern because of potential increased inhalation exposure, yet measurements regarding these relationships are lacking. The importance of this was highlighted when, in May of 2000, the Cerro Grande fire burned over roughly 30% of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), mostly in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forest, and through areas with soils containing contaminants, particularly excess depleted and natural uranium. Additionally, post-fire thinning was performed in burned and unburned forests on about 25% of LANL land. The first goal of this study was to assess the potential for increased inhalation dose from uranium contaminated soils via wind-driven resuspension of soil following the Cerro Grande Fire and subsequent forest thinning. This was done through analysis of post-disturbance measurements of uranium air concentrations and their relationships with wind velocity and seasonal vegetation cover. We found a 14% average increase in uranium a...Continue Reading

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Citations

Feb 22, 2013·The Science of the Total Environment·Xiaochun ZhangShuifen Zhan
Dec 25, 2012·Journal of Environmental Management·Anna M HejlLuke P Naeher
May 27, 2015·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Dominik Thom, Rupert Seidl
Jul 7, 2012·The Science of the Total Environment·Janae CsavinaA Eduardo Sáez
Aug 28, 2014·Health Physics·Robert B Hayes, Mansour Akbarzadeh
Apr 30, 2019·Health Physics·Jeffrey J WhickerDavid P Fuehne
Mar 29, 2021·Journal of Environmental Radioactivity·Jeffrey J WhickerChristine Bullock

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