Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 
Case Studies in Environmental Medicine (CSEM) 
Uranium Toxicity
Cover Page

Key Concepts

• Everyone is exposed to uranium in food, air, and water as part of the natural environment. Most exposures do not warrant monitoring or treatment.
• Populations most heavily exposed to uranium are those employed in mining and milling operations, or in uranium enrichment and processing activities.
• Natural and depleted uranium are primarily chemical toxicants, with radiation playing a minor role or no role at all.
• Outcomes that may occur with uranium overexposure, based on both observed human effects and animal studies, include non-malignant respiratory disease (fibrosis, emphysema) and nephrotoxicity.
• Nephrotoxicity should reverse as overexposure ceases.
• Alpha radiation (such as that from uranium) is classified as a human carcinogen. However, human studies have not found elevated rates of cancer from uranium exposure, and high-dose animal studies have not found cancer following inhalation, oral, or dermal exposure to uranium.

About This and Other Case Studies in Environmental Medicine

This educational case study document is one in a series of self-instructional courses designed to increase the primary care provider's knowledge of hazardous substances in the environment and to promote the adoption of medical practices that aid in the evaluation and care of potentially exposed patients. The complete series of Case Studies in Environmental Medicine is located on the ATSDR Web site at www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/. In addition, the downloadable PDF version of this educational series and other environmental medicine materials provides content in an electronic, printable format, especially for those who may lack adequate Internet service.

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See Training and Continuing Education Online for more information about continuing medical education credits, continuing nursing education credits, and other continuing education units.

Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the work that the physician writers, editors, and reviewers have provided to produce this educational resource. Listed below are those who have contributed to development of this version of the Case Study in Environmental Medicine.

Please Note: Each content expert for this case study has indicated that there is no conflict of interest to disclose that would bias the case study content.

ATSDR Authors: Kim Gehle MD, MPH

ATSDR Planners: Charlton Coles, PhD; John Doyle, MPA; Bruce Fowler, PhD; Kimberly Gehle, MD; Sharon L. Hall, PhD; Michael Hatcher, DrPH; Kimberly Jenkins, BA; Ronald T. Jolly; Barbara M. Riley, RN; Delene Roberts, MSA; Oscar Tarrago, MD, MPH, CHES; Brian Tencza, MS.

Contributors: Sam Keith, SB, MS; Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics (AOEC) contractors: Denece Kesler, MD, Madu Arora, MD, Kerrie Seger, MD, Philip Wagner, MD, Monica Pourrat, MD, Joanne Keefe, RN, Joyce Van Dellen, CNP, Melanie Valdez, RN, Jean Jones, NP, Patti Austin, NP, Tom White, PA, Herman J. Gibb, PhD, Joseph Burnell, PhD, Ed Maibach, PhD, M. Haider, PhD.

Peer Reviewers: Sam Keith, SB, MS, ATSDR; Dr. Gayle Debord, PhD, NIOSH; and Mary E. Mortensen, MD, NCEH/DLS.

Disclaimer

CDC, our planners, and our presenters wish to disclose they have no financial interests or other relationships with the manufacturers of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services, or commercial supporters.

Presentations will not include any discussion of the unlabeled use of a product or a product under investigational use.

There was no commercial support received for this activity.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine
Environmental Medicine and Educational Services Branch