Sirianna Blanck
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Research Mentor(s): Lynn Carpenter
Research Mentor School/College/Department: EEB/MCDB / Other
Program:
Authors:
Session: Session 5: 2:40 pm – 3:30 pm
Poster: 46
Abstract
When individuals are exposed to high levels of radiation in the water they drink and cook with everyday, from their public water systems, these repeated exposures can cause health effects including kidney damage, liver damage, and cancer. In the U.S.,74% of participants in the National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey had detectable concentrations of uranium in their urine from 2001 to 2010 (Villanueva et al.). The sources exposing these participants are diverse and often undocumented. Using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) Federal Reporting Services System, this study analyzes the calendar year 2023’s total violations and implications for how the typicalAmerican is exposed to radionuclides. This study focuses on groundwater, which is used for both drinking and crop irrigation (Evett, et al.). 1,168 violations were recorded in 2023, the majority were major violations within community water systems using groundwater. 40% were health-based violations. The majority of violations occurred in EPA region 6. This large number of violations, the health impacts of these contaminants, the communities they disproportionately affect, and how the EPA collects, stores, and disseminates violation data suggest a need for improved federal reporting and recordkeeping and an updated U.S. radionuclide policy.
