31-7 Understanding community-level heavy metal exposure pathways from contaminated groundwater sources in the Navajo Nation

Session: Environmental Geochemistry and Health (Posters)

Presenting Author:

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Abstract:

A significant shortage of fresh water is a big challenge throughout the Navajo Nation, the largest federally recognized Native American Tribe in the United States. Currently, more than 30% of the Navajo homes lack access to safe and drinkable water. People need to haul water from far distances to fulfill their household needs. Navajo communities are predominantly dependent on ranching and farming. Livestock in the Navajo Nation mainly rely on windmill-pumped groundwater in which naturally elevated arsenic, uranium, and other heavy metals pose a serious threat to the animals’ well-being. The possibility of residual arsenic and uranium in animal meat and dairy products is an additional risk to humans. Our research group conducted a community survey to understand Navajo people’s water usage behavior and type of water sources used for daily activities. The questions tracked whether households used bottled water, water from regulated or unregulated sources, or rainwater for different purposes including drinking, cooking, bathing, gardening, and livestock use. The survey also asked people about their habits with water hauling practices such as whether they use the same barrels for regulated and unregulated sources, and how often the households cleaned their storage tanks. Survey results showed that although over 88% of the respondents use bottled water for drinking, over 44% of the respondents use water hauled from unregulated sources for livestock management. It was also found that over 58% of the respondents used the same barrels to haul water from both regulated and unregulated sources, while over 40% of the respondents never cleaned their barrels. This survey clearly displayed possible human exposure pathways for arsenic, uranium, lead, selenium, and other commonly found contaminants in groundwater of the Navajo Nation. The results of this survey will be used in future community outreach events such as Chapter House meetings to educate Navajo communities about these dangers and appropriate corrective measures.

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