ArticleThe Lancet. Planetary health2022
Sociodemographic inequalities in uranium and other metals in community water systems across the USA, 2006-11: a cross-sectional study.
Article in The Lancet. Planetary health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 45 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
45 citing papers in PubMed, 50 citations in OpenAlex.
- Uranium Isotopes: From Geosciences to Biomedical Sciences.Current environmental health reports · 2026Review
- Associations of drinking water and urinary uranium with incident diabetes among U.S. adults: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and the Strong Heart Family Study.Environmental research · 2026Article
- Metal and metal mixture biomarkers across three U.S. cohorts: MASALA, MESA-LA, and Strong Heart Family Study.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2026Article
- Article
- Associations Between Perceived Tap Water Safety and Dietary Outcomes Among US Adults.Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics · 2026Article
- Disinfection Byproducts and Inorganic Contaminants in the U.S. Correctional Facility Public Water Systems.Environmental justice (Print) · 2026Article
- Drinking water nitrate, disinfection byproducts, and prostate cancer incidence in the Agricultural Health Study.Journal of the National Cancer Institute · 2026Article
- Characteristics of 'early adopters' of water treatment capacity needed to remove PFAS and other emerging contaminants in the United States.Environmental science. Processes & impacts · 2026Article
- The risk of NTM pulmonary infection associated with trace metal exposure from public distribution system water in the United States.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2026Article
- Public drinking water contaminant estimates for birth cohorts in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2026Article
- Levels of Uranium in Soil and Dust and Their Associated Chemical Risks to Human Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Environmental health insights · 2026Review
- Isoscapes as a Regional-Scale Tool for Tracing Groundwater Uranium Cycling in the Northern Plains, United States.Environmental science & technology · 2025Article
- Biomarkers of metal exposure in adolescent e-cigarette users: correlations with vaping frequency and flavouring.Tobacco control · 2025Article
- DNA damage response inhibition is an early event in cadmium-induced breast carcinogenesis.Toxicology and applied pharmacology · 2025Article
- Identifying differences in U.S. exposure to ubiquitous carcinogens.International journal of hygiene and environmental health · 2025Article
- Isotopic Fractionation of Natural Uranium in Mice as a Potential Biomarker of Renal Accumulation.Environmental science & technology · 2025Article
- Sociodemographic Disparities in Exposures to Inorganic Contaminants in United States Public Water Systems.Environmental health perspectives · 2025Article
- Heavy metals in drinking water sources in northern Mexico: a review of concentrations and human health risks assessment.Journal of water and health · 2025Review
- Geographic and dietary differences of urinary uranium levels in the Strong Heart Family Study.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2025Article
- Drinking water source and exposure to regulated water contaminants in the California Teachers Study cohort.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently sets maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for ten metals or metalloids in public drinking water systems. Our objective was to estimate metal concentrations in community water systems (CWSs) across the USA, to establish if sociodemographic or regional inequalities in the metal concentrations exist, and to identify patterns of concentrations for these metals as a mixture.
methodsWe evaluated routine compliance monitoring records for antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, mercury, selenium, thallium, and uranium, collected from 2006-11 (2000-11 for uranium; timeframe based on compliance monitoring requirements) by the US EPA in support of their second and third Six-Year Reviews for CWSs. Arsenic, barium, chromium, selenium, and uranium (detectable in >10% records) were included in the main analyses (subgroup and metal mixture analyses; arsenic data reported previously). We compared the mean, 75th percentile, and 95th percentile contaminant concentrations and the percentage of CWSs with concentrations exceeding the MCL across subgroups (region, sociodemographic county-cluster, size of population served, source water type, and CWSs exclusively serving correctional facilities). We evaluated patterns in CWS metal concentration estimate profiles via hierarchical cluster analysis. We created an online interactive map and dashboard of estimated CWS metal concentrations for use in future analyses.
findingsAverage metal concentrations were available for a total of 37 915 CWSs across the USA. The total number of monitoring records available was approximately 297 000 for arsenic, 165 000 for barium, 167 000 for chromium, 165 000 for selenium, and 128 000 for uranium. The percentage of analysed CWSs with average concentrations exceeding the MCL was 2·6% for arsenic (MCL=10 μg/L; nationwide mean 1·77 μg/L; n=36 798 CWSs), 2·1% for uranium (MCL=30 μg/L; nationwide mean 4·37 μg/L; n=14 503 CWSs), and less than 0·1% for the other metals. The number of records with detections was highest for uranium (63·1%). 75th and 95th percentile concentrations for uranium, chromium, barium, and selenium were highest for CWSs serving Semi-Urban, Hispanic communities, CWSs reliant on groundwater, and CWSs in the Central Midwest. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed two distinct clusters: an arsenic-uranium-selenium cluster and a barium-chromium cluster. INTERPRETATIONS: Uranium is an under-recognised contaminant in CWSs. Metal concentrations (including uranium) are elevated in CWSs serving Semi-Urban, Hispanic communities independent of location or region, highlighting environmental justice concerns.
fundingUS National Institutes of Health Office of the Director, US National Institutes for Environmental Health Sciences, and US National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
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