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Meteorological data source comparison—a case study in geospatial modeling of potential environmental exposure to abandoned uranium mine sites in the Navajo Nation

This study evaluated how different meteorological data sources affect predictions of exposure susceptibility to abandoned uranium mines in the Navajo Nation. Using machine learning and GIS modeling, researchers compared national datasets, regional airport reports, and local weather stations. Results showed that direct local measurements produced the most accurate predictions, underscoring the importance of community-based data collection for risk assessment and policy decisions.

Read More Meteorological data source comparison—a case study in geospatial modeling of potential environmental exposure to abandoned uranium mine sites in the Navajo Nation
Metal mixture exposures and multiplexed autoantibody screening in Navajo communities exposed to uranium mine wastes

The Diné Network for Environmental Health (DiNEH) Project documented widespread exposure to uranium mining wastes and metals in Navajo communities. Blood and urine testing revealed autoantibody positivity more than twice the U.S. average, with higher risks for women living near waste sites. This community-engaged study demonstrates the potential of clinical biomarkers as early indicators of environmental metal exposure and its health impacts.

Read More Metal mixture exposures and multiplexed autoantibody screening in Navajo communities exposed to uranium mine wastes
Effect of bicarbonate and phosphate on arsenic release from mining-impacted sediments in the Cheyenne River watershed, South Dakota, USA†

Researchers examined the mobilization of arsenic from riverbank sediments affected by the gold mining legacy in north-central South Dakota. Mining waste from the Homestake Mine discharged into Whitewood Creek and the Cheyenne River, leaving sediments with high arsenic concentrations. Laboratory experiments showed that arsenic release was strongly influenced by bicarbonate and phosphate, offering insights into how ion displacement processes affect water quality for nearby communities.

Read More Effect of bicarbonate and phosphate on arsenic release from mining-impacted sediments in the Cheyenne River watershed, South Dakota, USA†
Emerging investigator series: Entrapment of uraniumphosphorus nanocrystals inside root cells of Tamarix plants from a mine waste site

This study investigated the mechanisms of uranium uptake by Tamarix (Salt Cedars) growing along the Rio Paguate, which flows through the Jackpile Mine near Pueblo de Laguna, New Mexico. Uranium was detected in both roots and shoots, with accumulation concentrated in root cortex cells. Controlled laboratory experiments confirmed that uranium precipitates in root cell walls, highlighting pathways of plant uptake in contaminated environments.

Read More Emerging investigator series: Entrapment of uraniumphosphorus nanocrystals inside root cells of Tamarix plants from a mine waste site
Arsenic Accumulation in Hydroponically Grown Schizachyrium scoparium (Little Bluestem) Amended with Root-Colonizing Endophytes

Researchers examined the mobilization of arsenic from riverbank sediments affected by the gold mining legacy in north-central South Dakota. Mining waste from the Homestake Mine discharged into Whitewood Creek and the Cheyenne River, leaving sediments with high arsenic concentrations. Laboratory experiments showed that arsenic release was strongly influenced by bicarbonate and phosphate, offering insights into how ion displacement processes affect water quality for nearby communities.

Read More Arsenic Accumulation in Hydroponically Grown Schizachyrium scoparium (Little Bluestem) Amended with Root-Colonizing Endophytes
Mobilization of As, Fe, and Mn from Contaminated Sediment in Aerobic and Anaerobic Conditions: Chemical or Microbiological Triggers?

This study analyzed contaminated sediments collected from Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal lands in South Dakota to identify chemical and microbial processes that influence arsenic, iron, and manganese release. Experiments showed that anaerobic conditions with electron donors triggered the highest releases, driven by microbial reductive dissolution. Results reveal how redox transitions and microbial activity shape metal mobility, with implications for water and sediment quality.

Read More Mobilization of As, Fe, and Mn from Contaminated Sediment in Aerobic and Anaerobic Conditions: Chemical or Microbiological Triggers?
Governing water insecurity: navigating indigenous water rights and regulatory politics in settler colonial states

Indigenous peoples experience water insecurity disproportionately compared to other populations. This article illustrates how jurisdictional and regulatory injustices, combined with political and economic asymmetries advanced by settler colonial states, reproduce water insecurity for Indigenous communities in Canada and the United States. The authors also show how Indigenous peoples are pushing back through state and non-state strategies, revitalizing Indigenous knowledge and governance systems to assert water rights.

Read More Governing water insecurity: navigating indigenous water rights and regulatory politics in settler colonial states
Indigenous Youth and Decolonial Futures: Energy and Environmentalism among the Dine in the Navajo Nation and the Lepchas of Sikkim, India

This article examines how Diné and Lepcha youth articulate decolonial futures that diverge from large-scale infrastructure development models. Rather than advocating for dams or power plants, Indigenous youth imagine energy and environmental futures rooted in their own territories and values. Their activism is framed as “youthful decolonial futurity,” a politics that centers community control, ancestral stewardship, and intergenerational decision-making.

Read More Indigenous Youth and Decolonial Futures: Energy and Environmentalism among the Dine in the Navajo Nation and the Lepchas of Sikkim, India
Infrastructures as colonial beachheads: The Central Arizona Project and the taking of Navajo resources

This article argues that colonialism is advanced through the development of national infrastructures, which arrive in some places while being withheld in others. By examining the Central Arizona Project, it highlights how infrastructure planning across space and time established conditions for dispossession and marginalization of Navajo resources. The study shows how physical, legal, and political systems converge to reinforce colonial control through infrastructure development.

Read More Infrastructures as colonial beachheads: The Central Arizona Project and the taking of Navajo resources
Using environmental health dialogue in a Diné-centered approach for individualized results reporting in an environmental exposure study following the Gold King Mine Spill

After the 2015 Gold King Mine Spill released 3 million gallons of acid mine drainage into the San Juan River, researchers worked with Diné communities to study impacts. The project developed and evaluated individualized household results materials, moving beyond one-way communication from researcher to participant. This Diné-centered approach emphasized dialogue, cultural sensitivity, and community involvement in reporting environmental exposure results.

Read More Using environmental health dialogue in a Diné-centered approach for individualized results reporting in an environmental exposure study following the Gold King Mine Spill