Publications

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TENORM

Please Note: This revised version of Volume 1 amends certain discussions that reflect current regulatory views of the Agency. (If you downloaded Volume 1 before June 6, 2007, you can see the changes as a supplement (PDF) (4pp, 23Kb).

Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials From Uranium Mining Volume 1: Mining and Reclamation Background (PDF) (182pp, 2.3Mb, also available in chapters below), [EPA 402-R-08-005] April 2008, originall printed and pulished on-line a [EPA 402-R-05-007]January 2006, Revised June 2007.

This report, which is the first of two volumes, examines the following issues surrounding uranium in the United States:

its occurrence in natural settings
industrial uses
extraction methods employed over the last century
solid and liquid wastes from various extraction methods
reclamation and remediation methods to restore the extraction site's environment.

Revised Report in Chapters

Cover, Executive Summary, Table of Contents (PDF) (13 pp, 266 K)
Chapter 1 Introduction (PDF) (20 pp, 472K)
Chapter 2 Uranium Mining and Extraction Processes in the United States (PDF) (18 pp, 584K)
Chapter 3 Volume and Characteristics of Uranium Mine Wastes (PDF) (31 pp, 876K)
Chapter 4 Uranium Mine and Extraction Facility Reclamation (PDF) (21 pp, 224 K)
Chapter 5 Conclusion (PDF) (2 pp, 78K) This chapter was not affected by the revisions.
Chapter 6 Bibliography (PDF) (17 pp, 175 K) This chapter was not affected by the revisions.
Appendices (PDF) (60 pp, 690K)

This report, without revisions, is also available in other formats:

Printed copies
CD-ROM, which also includes three other previously published EPA reports on uranium mine wastes mentioned above.

To order the report see Obtaining Documents or send a request to information.radiation@epa.gov.

Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials From Uranium Mining Volume 2: Investigation of Potential Health, Geographic, and Environmental Issues of Abandoned Uranium Mines (PDF) (131 pp, 3MB, also available in chapters below) [EPA 402-R-08-005] April 2008 (Originally released on-line August 2006 as EPA 402-R-05-007.)
This report, which is the second of two volumes, provides a general scoping evaluation of potential radiogenic cancer and environmental risks posed by small abandoned uranium mines in the western United States.

Cover (PDF) (1 pg, 20.6K)
Introduction (PDF) (4pp, 28K)
Chapter 1 Major Studies Supporting This Scoping Risk Analysis (PDF) (9pp, 318K)
Chapter 2 Geographic Analysis on the Location of Uranium Mines (PDF) (8pp, 502K)
Chapter 3 Cancer Risks from On-Site Exposure (PDF) (31pp, 544K)
Chapter 4 Risk from Uranium Mining Waste in Building Materials (PDF) (10 pp, 244K)
Chapter 5 Potential Ecological Impacts from Uranium Mines (PDF) (4 pp, 54K)
Chapter 6 Uncertainties (PDF) (1 pg, 13K)
Chapter 7 Conclusions (PDF) (4 pp, 28K)
Chapter 8 Bibliography (PDF) (7 pp, 41K)
Appendix I. Swimming Risk (PDF) (4 pp, 19K)
Appendix II. Calculation of Slope Factors for Naturally Occurring Radionuclides (PDF) (3 pp, 85K)
Appendix III. Occupational and Public Risks Associated with In-Situ Leaching (PDF) (11 pp, 178K)
Appendix IV. Risks Associated with Conventional Uranium Milling Operations (PDF) (10 pp, 168K)
Appendix V. List of Acronyms and Abbreviations and Glossary of Terms (PDF) (18 pp, 100K)

Uranium Location Database Compilation: Overview and Database Files

EPA has compiled mine location information from federal, state, and Tribal agencies into a single database as part of its investigation into the potential environmental hazards of wastes from abandoned uranium mines in the western United States.

Overview

Uranium Location Database Compilation (PDF) (26pp, 472Kb) [EPA 402-R-05-009] August, 2006
This supporting document is an overview of the Uranium Location Database.

Database Files

The database is designed for use with geographic information system (GIS) software. A geographic projection (NAD 1983) of the uranium locations found in the database may be generated with GIS software, using these sample files:

uld-ii.dbf database file containing mine name, latitude, longitude, etc.
uld-ii_gis.zip contains three files required to complete the sample geographic projection [about zip format]

To obtain the entire database compilation on CD:

master database
component databases
shape files
supporting documentation

see the directions on Obtaining Documents.

Evaluation of Guidelines for Exposures to Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (PDF) (22pp, 394Kb) [EPA 402-R-00-01] January, 1999.
EPA sponsored a National Academy of Sciences evaluation of existing methods for estimating the risk from TENORM sites and existing guidelines for cleaning them up. EPA sponsored the study at the request of Congress.

TENORM in SW Copper Belt of Arizona (PDF) (124 pp, 2,470 Kb) [EPA 402-R-99-002] October, 1999
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been working over the past several years to better understand the nature and extent of TENORM that may become concentrated at copper mining sites. This document presents the information that EPA has compiled on this issue to date.

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