Papers by Anita Moore-Nall
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2018
An estimated 11 million people in the US have home wells with unsafe levels of hazardous metals a... more An estimated 11 million people in the US have home wells with unsafe levels of hazardous metals and nitrate. The national scope of the health risk from consuming this water has not been assessed as home wells are largely unregulated and data on well water treatment and consumption are lacking. Here, we assessed health risks from consumption of contaminated well water on the Crow Reservation by conducting a community-engaged, cumulative risk assessment. Well water testing, surveys and interviews were used to collect data on contaminant concentrations, water treatment methods, well water consumption, and well and septic system protection and maintenance practices. Additive Hazard Index calculations show that the water in more than 39% of wells is unsafe due to uranium, manganese, nitrate, zinc and/or arsenic. Most families' financial resources are limited, and 95% of participants do not employ water treatment technologies. Despite widespread high total dissolved solids, poor taste and odor, 80% of families consume their well water. Lack of environmental health literacy about well water safety, pre-existing health conditions and limited environmental enforcement also contribute to vulnerability. Ensuring access to safe drinking water and providing accompanying education are urgent public health priorities for Crow and other rural US families with low environmental health literacy and limited financial resources.
Geosciences, 2015
Uranium occurrence and development has left a legacy of long-lived health effects for many Native... more Uranium occurrence and development has left a legacy of long-lived health effects for many Native Americans and Alaska Natives in the United States. Some Native American communities have been impacted by processing and development while others are living with naturally occurring sources of uranium. The uranium production peak spanned from approximately 1948 to the 1980s. Thousands of mines, mainly on the Colorado Plateau, were developed in the western U.S. during the uranium boom. Many of these mines were abandoned and have not been reclaimed. Native Americans in the Colorado Plateau area including the Navajo, Southern Ute, Ute Mountain, Hopi, Zuni, Laguna, Acoma, and several other Pueblo nations, with their intimate knowledge of the land, often led miners to uranium resources during this exploration boom. As a result of the mining activity many Indian Nations residing near areas of mining or milling have had and continue to have their health compromised. This short review aims to rekindle the public awareness of the plight of Native American communities living with the legacy of uranium procurement, including mining, milling, down winders, nuclear weapon development and long term nuclear waste storage.
Geosciences, 2015
Exposure to uranium can damage kidneys, increase long term risks of various cancers, and cause de... more Exposure to uranium can damage kidneys, increase long term risks of various cancers, and cause developmental and reproductive effects. Historically, home well water in Montana has not been tested for uranium. Data for the Crow Reservation from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) database showed that water from 34 of 189 wells tested had uranium over the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 30 μg/L for drinking water. Therefore the Crow Water Quality Project included uranium in its tests of home well water. Volunteers had their well water tested and completed a survey about their well water use. More than 2/3 of the 97 wells sampled had detectable uranium; 6.3% exceeded the MCL of 30 μg/L. Wells downgradient from the uranium-bearing formations in the mountains were at highest risk. About half of all Crow families rely on home wells; 80% of these families consume their well water. An explanation of test results; associated health risks and water treatment options were provided to participating homeowners. The project is a community-based participatory research initiative of Little Big Horn College; the Crow Tribe; the Apsáalooke Water and Wastewater Authority; the local Indian Health Service Hospital and other local stakeholders; with support from academic partners at Montana State University (MSU) Bozeman.
Minerals, 2017
The origin of V, U, REE and other metals in the Permian Phosphoria Formation have been speculated... more The origin of V, U, REE and other metals in the Permian Phosphoria Formation have been speculated and studied by numerous scientists. The exceptionally high concentrations of metals have been interpreted to reflect fundamental transitions from anoxic to oxic marine conditions. Much of the oil in the Bighorn Basin, is sourced by the Phosphoria Formation. Two of the top 10 producing oil fields in Wyoming are located approximately 50 km west of two abandoned U-V mining districts in the northern portion of the basin. These fields produce from basin margin anticlinal structures from Mississippian age reservoir rock. Samples collected from abandoned U-V mines and prospects hosted in Mississippian aged paleokarst in Montana and Wyoming have hydrocarbon residue present and contain anomalous high concentrations of many metals that are found in similar concentrations in the Phosphoria Formation. As, Hg, Mo, Pb, Tl, U, V and Zn, often metals of environmental concern occur in high concentrations in Phosphoria Formation samples and had values ranging from 30-1295 ppm As, 0.179-12.8 ppm Hg, 2-791 ppm Mo, <2-146 ppm Pb, 10-490 ppm Tl, 907-86,800 ppm U, 1240-18,900 ppm V, and 7-2230 ppm Zn, in mineralized samples from this study. The REE plus Y composition of Madison Limestone-and limestone breccia hosted-bitumen reflect similar patterns to both mineralized samples from this study and to U.S. Geological Survey rock samples from studies of the Phosphoria Formation. Geochemical, mineralogical and field data were used to investigate past theories for mineralization of these deposits to determine if U present in home wells and Hg content of fish from rivers on the proximal Crow Indian Reservation may have been derived from these deposits or related to their mode of mineralization.
Conference Presentations by Anita Moore-Nall
Proceedings of Conference of the International Medical Geology Association, 2013
Data from the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology Ground Water Information Center (GWIC) and USGS... more Data from the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology Ground Water Information Center (GWIC) and USGS National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) database, show a number of wells with elevated U (uranium) in Big Horn County, Montana. Many home wells on the reservation are in shallow Pleistocene deposits; most were not tested for uranium at the time the Indian Health Service had the wells drilled. On learning about the NURE data for the Crow Reservation and the occurrence of uranium in the geologic formations in the Pryor Mountains adjacent to the reservation, the Crow Water Quality Project decided to include uranium testing in its home well water testing. Residents from throughout the Reservation volunteered to have their well water tested for mineral and microbial contaminants, including uranium. Energy Laboratories, an EPA certified lab in Billings, Montana, conducted these tests. More than 2/3 of the local wells sampled by the Crow Water Quality Project tested positive for uranium, and about 8% of wells tested exceeded EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Level of 30 μg/L. An explanation of test results and the health risks of elevated uranium are being provided to participating homeowners both in print and in person. The project is a community-based participatory research initiative of Little Big Horn College (the Tribal College for the Reservation), the Crow Tribe, the Apsaalooke [Crow] Water and Wastewater Authority, the local Indian Health Service Hospital and other local stakeholders, with support from academic partners at MSU Bozeman and the University of New England. Continued risk communication and risk mitigation with residents of the Crow Reservation are warranted.
AISES Professional Poster Research Presentations, 2017
The power of oral tradition and Indigenous language passed on by stories often reflects environme... more The power of oral tradition and Indigenous language passed on by stories often reflects environmental knowledge encoded therein. Cultural and holistic research with herder (seminomadic) user group communities in the Darhad Valley of northwestern Mongolia was conducted by a traditional knowledge team of Native Americans with partner organization, BioRegions International. The Three Lake Valley, near Bayanzurkh, is the summer grazing area for a herder user group. Changes in the environment were revealed by place name changes through stories related by elder Mongolians in this user group. The name of the valley in the Mongolian language has changed as the geomorphology has changed as a result of (likely) climate change.
MBMG Open-File Report 669, 2015
Rare Earth elements (REE) lanthanums to lutetium (atomic numbers 57–71) are members of Group IIIB... more Rare Earth elements (REE) lanthanums to lutetium (atomic numbers 57–71) are members of Group IIIB on the periodic table, and all have similar chemical and physical properties. The elements Sc and Y (atomic numbers 21 and 39) are also Group IIIB elements for which the REE substitutes are often included in REE lists. REE are actually fairly common in the continental crust but are rarely concentrated in mineable deposits (Sutherland et al., 2013), with the LREE being more commonly concentrated than the HREE. REE are significantly concentrated within the uraninite from breccia pipes in northern Arizona (Wenrich et al., 2013) in both LREE and especially in the HREE. The Pryor Mountain mining district of south central Montana and the Little Mountain Mining district of northern Wyoming host uranium vanadium deposits similar to the Colorado Plateau uranium breccia pipe deposits in Arizona (Van Gossen et al., 1996). The Montana and Wyoming deposits are orders of magnitude smaller in scale and the primary ore minerals are what are usually considered secondary uranium ore minerals occurring in the oxidized zones of U-V deposits: tyuyamunite Ca(UO2)2(VO4)2·5-8H2O and metatyuyamunite Ca(UO2)2(VO4)2·3-5H2O. Minor amounts of a few other uranium minerals identified in the Pryor Mountain mining district include: autunite Ca(UO2)2(PO4)2·10-12H2O (Warchola and Stockton, 1982), uranophane Ca(UO2)2Si2O7·6H2O and apple green liebigite Ca2(UO2)(CO3)3·11H2O from the East Pryor mine (Patterson et al., 1988), francevillite (Ba,Pb)(UO2)2(VO4)2·5H2O (Moore-Nall and Lageson, 2013), davidite (Fe+2,La, U, Ca)6 (Ti,Fe+3)15(O,OH)36 from the Dandy mine (Warchola and Stockton, 1982), and possibly samarskite-Yb (Yb,Y,Fe3+,Fe2+,U,Th,Ca)2(Nb, Ta)2O8 from the East Pryor mine and bastnasite (Ce,La)(CO3)F from the Old Glory mine (Moore-Nall, unpublished data). Gangue minerals include hematite, limonite, iron-hydroxides, radioactive green calcite, dolomite, golden and white barite, gypsum, white and dark purple fluorite, pyrite, marcasite, opal, quartz, including herkimer style quartz (Moore-Nall and Lageson, 2011), and clay minerals. Rare Earth elements were detected by SEM at Montana State University in some of the minerals from the Pryor Mountain mining district. Additionally analyses performed by American Analytical Services Inc., in Osborn, Idaho by ICP-MS of yellow uranium vanadium ore minerals from the Sandra mine in the Pryor Mountain mining district reveal a cumulative REE content of 2097 ppm (raw data, not converted to oxide values). All the REE (Sc and Y were not analyzed) were detected in the prepared pulp from the Sandra mine. The cumulative LREE portion of this analysis is 1489 ppm, with cerium (Ce) representing 1280 ppm and samarium (Sm) 74.5 ppm. The HREE cumulative portion of the analysis is 608 ppm, with all the elements being greater than 15 times average crustal abundance except Dysprosium (Dy), which was only about 5 times greater. Gangue minerals fluorite and barite were also analyzed from other mines in the district. 48 Dark purple fluorites from the East Pryor mine and the Dandy Mine were analyzed as well as a golden barite from the Swamp Frog Mine. The fluorites contained La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, and Yb in concentrations ranging from 1.03 to 9.54 ppm, while barite had only 11.1 ppm Eu. Splits from the Sandra mine UV sample, a UV prospect site, the Dandy mine fluorite sample, and a barite sample from the Old Glory mine sample were analyzed for Au by American Analytical Services, Inc. by Fire Assay ICP Finish. The samples contained 0.031, 0.055, 0.067, and 2.35 ppm (detection limit 0.005 ppm) respectively. The Pryor Mountain Mining District, Montana and the Little Mountain Mining District, Wyoming were prospected and mined for uranium and vanadium from 1956 to the late 1970s. The deposits are hosted in mineralized collapse breccia features in the top 190–240 ft paleokarst horizon of the Mississippian aged Madison Limestone. Both districts are located in Laramide structures. Relatively small, high-grade (median grades of 0.36% U3O8, 0.41% V2O5) deposits in Montana and Wyoming, combined, produced 223,000 pounds of uranium oxide (U3O8) from 19 properties and 236,000 pounds of vanadium oxide (V2O5) from 15 properties during the peak production years (Patterson et al., 1988). In addition to being stratigraphically localized, the uranium deposits in the area of Red Pryor Mountain show a structural relationship to a zone of fractures that trend N. 65o W, on a trend that includes the East Pryor and Little Mountain group of mines (Patterson et al., 1988); mineralization appears to be enhanced where NW-striking fractures intersect the crest of the south-plunging Gypsum Creek anticline (Blackstone, 1974). Furthermore, the alignment of mines (Old Glory, Sandra, Lisbon, Perc Group, Dandy, Marie, and Swamp Frog) on the Red Pryor quadrangle is spatially coincident with a reverse fault in the basement that subtends the south-plunging Gypsum Creek anticline (Blackstone, 1974). Two main schools of thought exist relative to the origin of uranium in these ore deposits. McEldowney et al., 1977, proposed that the uranium deposits in the Madison Limestone were formed by meteoric waters. Uranium-bearing meteoric water, principally groundwater, is proposed to have leached uranium from Tertiary tuffaceous rocks that once covered the region prior to epeirogenic uplift and exhumation, and then deposited uranium in preexisting karst solution cavities through deep circulation in the upper Madison Limestone. The second school of thought proposes that these deposits formed by structurally controlled, ascending hydrothermal fluids (Warchola and Stockton, 1982). Their interpretation was that hydrothermal fluids ascended along major fault or fracture zones along the eastern edge of Big Pryor Mountain and anticlinal structures of the Little Mountain District. The characteristics of both mining districts strongly suggest a bottom-up hydrothermal origin, including breccia pipes or chimneys and breccia networks that follow bedding surfaces and vertical fractures, hydrothermal mineral assemblage associations, vug-filling character of mineralization, and alteration of country rocks, including bleaching and Liesegang banding. Sources of vanadium are also uncertain, with two possible sources (Patterson et al., 1988) which might also be the sources for the REE. Vanadium may have originated in the Park City Formation (Love, 1961; 2003), or from vanadium-rich oil (Stone, 1967) that may have seeped up from depth from the Bighorn Basin along fractures into these structures.
Thesis Chapters by Anita Moore-Nall
Structural Controls and Chemical Characterization of Brecciation and Uranium Vanadium Mineralization in the Northern Bighorn Basin , 2016
The goals of this research were to determine if the mode of mineralization and the geology of two... more The goals of this research were to determine if the mode of mineralization and the geology of two abandoned uranium and vanadium mining districts that border the Crow Reservation might be a source for contaminants in the Bighorn River and a source of elevated uranium in home water wells on the Reservation. Surface and spring waters of the Crow Reservation have always been greatly respected by the Crow people, valued as a source of life and health and relied upon for drinking water. Upon learning that the Bighorn River has an EPA 303d impaired water listing due to elevated lead and mercury and that mercury has been detected in the fish from rivers of the Crow Reservation this study was implemented. Watersheds from both mining districts contribute to the Bighorn River that flows through the Crow Reservation. Initial research used the National Uranium Resource Evaluation database to analyze available geochemistry for the study areas using GIS. The data showed elevated concentrations of lead in drainages related to the mining areas. The data also showed elevated uranium in many of the surface waters and wells that were tested as a part of the study on the Crow Reservation. The author attended meetings and presented results of the National Uranium Resource Evaluation data analyses to the Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee. Thus, both uranium and lead were added to the list of elements that were being tested in home water wells as part of a community based participatory research project addressing many issues of water quality on the Crow Reservation. Results from home wells tested on the reservation did show elevated uranium. Rock samples were collected in the study areas and geochemically analyzed. The results of the analyses support a Permian Phosphoria Formation oil source of metals in the two mining districts. Structural data support fracturing accompanied by tectonic hydrothermal brecciation as a process that introduced oil and brines from the Bighorn Basin into the deposits where the uranium vanadium deposits later formed.
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Papers by Anita Moore-Nall
Conference Presentations by Anita Moore-Nall
Thesis Chapters by Anita Moore-Nall