Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42597505›Full record

ReviewEnvironmental health insights2026

Levels of Uranium in Soil and Dust and Their Associated Chemical Risks to Human Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Limbani Rodney Kalumbi, Kgomotso Lebelo, Masilu Daniel Masekameni, Wells Utembe, Derk Brouwer

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Environmental health insights, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Limbani Rodney KalumbiSchool of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Kgomotso LebeloSchool of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2282-6375
Masilu Daniel MasekameniDepartment of Development Studies, School of Social Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa.
Wells UtembeToxicology Department, National Institute for Occupational Health, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Derk BrouwerSchool of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1750-3715

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Environmental uranium contamination is a growing public health concern driven by mining, nuclear operations, phosphate fertiliser use, and improper waste disposal. These activities raise uranium levels in soil and dust, increasing human exposure and health risks. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesise global data on uranium contamination in soil and dust, specifically evaluating carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks across populations. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed databases for studies published between 2000 and 2025. Two independent reviewers screened titles, abstracts, and full texts, applying the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal criteria for data extraction. Meta-analyses were performed, incorporating pooled estimates where appropriate. Narrative synthesis was applied to data unsuitable for meta-analysis. Eighteen studies from 13 countries met the inclusion criteria. The pooled mean uranium concentration was 3.49 mg/kg in soil and 5.10 mg/kg in dust. Regionally, the WHO South-East Asian Region (SEARO) reported the highest mean soil concentrations (5.26 mg/kg), while the Western Pacific Region recorded the highest dust concentrations (11.69 mg/kg). Non-carcinogenic hazard quotients ranged from 3.1 × 10

Indexed as

carcinogenic riskexposure assessmentexposure routesJoanna Briggs Institutenon-carcinogenic risk

Identifiers

PMID42597505
PMCPMC13469534

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.