Uranium exposure-associated health complications and their environmental-exposure pathways: A baseline survey among residents near uranium mining sites in Siavonga, Zambia
Abstract
Background: Uranium (U), a naturally occurring actinide may exhibit radio-toxic or chemo-toxic health effects in exposed populations. Increased cases of environmental uranium pollution have recently gained attention owing to its potential threats to human health and adverse effects on animals and aquatic life. Among the toxicological effects known to arise from environmental exposure to U in humans include neurotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, pulmonary toxicity, reproductive toxicity and bone toxicity. Anecdotal evidence indicating that residents of communities in the vicinity of U-mining sites in Siavonga, Zambia, were experiencing some health complications associated with U exposure have been recorded. Therefore, the current study was conducted with the aim of assessing the associations between specific U exposure-associated health complications, and the potential environmental exposure pathways among residents in the vicinity of the U mining sites in Siavonga, Zambia. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study design was used. A total of 698 study participants who met the study’s inclusion criteria were randomly included in the study. Pre-tested interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaires were used for data collection, The collected data was thereafter statistically analysed using a binary logistic regression through SPSS (v 20). Results: The current study results are suggesting that one’s place of residence and the location of drinking water sources had an effect (p< 0.05) on one’s chances of experiencing U exposure-associated health complications. The odds of experiencing U exposure- associated health complications among the U-mining area community residents were at minimum >1.2 among the general populations, >1.6 among pregnant women and >2.014 among children compared to the residents of the non-mining area communities. Conclusions: The findings of the study revealed that the residents of the U-mining area were exposed to high U levels. Therefore, awareness programs targeting local communities should be initiated to sensitise them on the means and ways of limiting and avoiding exposure to U. Keywords: Uranium exposure; Children; Maternal-related; Health complications; ZambiaAll authors who submit their paper for publication will abide by following provisions of the copyright transfer: 1. The copyright of the paper rests with the authors. And they are transferring the copyright to publish the article and used the article for indexing and storing for public use with due reference to published matter in the name of concerned authors. 2. The authors reserve all proprietary rights such as patent rights and the right to use all or part of the article in future works of their own such as lectures, press releases, and reviews of textbooks. 3. In the case of republication of the whole, part, or parts thereof, in periodicals or reprint publications by a third party, written permission must be obtained from the Managing Editor of JPRM. 4. The authors declare that the material being presented by them in this paper is their original work, and does not contain or include material taken from other copyrighted sources. Wherever such material has been included, it has been clearly indented or/and identified by quotation marks and due and proper acknowledgements given by citing the source at appropriate places. 5. The paper, the final version of which they submit, is not substantially the same as any that they had already published elsewhere. 6. They declare that they have not sent the paper or any paper substantially the same as the submitted one, for publication anywhere else. 7. Furthermore, the author may only post his/her version provided acknowledgement is given to the original source of publication in this journal and a link is inserted wherever published. 8. All contents, Parts, written matters, publications are under copyright act taken by JPRM. 9. Published articles will be available for use by scholars and researchers. 10. IJPRM is not responsible in any type of claim on publication in our Journal. .