Principal Investigator: Jose Cerrato, PhDDirector of the UNM METALS Superfund Research Program CenterProfessor and Regents' Lecturer, Department of Civil Construction & Environmental Engineering
The UNM Metals Exposure and Toxicity Assessment on Tribal Lands in the Southwest (UNM METALS) Superfund Research Program Center, the first of its kind in the nation, is dedicated to studying the toxic effects of mixed metals and uranium exposure on tribal communities in the Southwest.
Years of mining waste on tribal lands has left Native Americans with numerous health problems. The health effects have been profound, and the center is conducting further research to determine the best methods for remediation of mine waste sites and risk reduction strategies within communities to help curb further exposure to the contaminants. The West is home to more than 4,000 uranium mines and some 160,000 abandoned hard rock mines. About 600,000 Native Americans live within 10 kilometers of the sites.
The center is funded through the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS grant #NIEHS 1 P42 ES025589).
Recognizing that complete remediation of these sites remains decades away, UNM METALS uses multi-directional Community Engagement and Research Translation Cores to develop and implement transgenerational approaches to risk communication and risk avoidance that integrate indigenous learning models (e.g., tribal ecological knowledge) and Western science.
The UNM METALS Center has developed partnerships with 4 Native American communities that live near waste sites:
They are:
Research Briefs
UNM Podcast on Uranium and Toxic Metals Exposure
On the May 7th episode of “It’s (probably) Not Rocket Science”,– (Season 1 Episode #13) a science podcast from UNM, METALS Director Jose M. Cerrato is interviewed regarding abandoned uranium mines, METALS remediation research, and building strong relationships within Tribal communities.
(https://podcast.unm.edu/episode/finding-solutions-for-uranium-and-toxic-metals-exposure/)
The most up-to-date list of publications can be downloaded here.
Hudson LG, Dashner-Titus EJ, MacKenzie D. Zinc as a Mechanism-Based Strategy for Mitigation of Metals Toxicity. Current Environmental Health Reports. 2025 Jan 18;12(1):5. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-025-00474-x
Rodriguez VG, Majumdar A, Meza I, Corcoran L, Pierson A, Gagnon K, Cano C, Ali AM, Shuey CM, Jojola G, Tan W, et al. Radiological Analyses of 226Ra and 238U in Surface Water and Sediments from the Jackpile Member of the Morrison Formation, Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico. Environmental Science & Technology. 2024 Aug 13. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.est.4c01257
Atanga R, Appell LL, Thompson MN, Lauer FT, Brearley A, Campen MJ, Castillo EF, In JG. Single cell analysis of human colonoids exposed to uranium-bearing dust. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2024 May 21;132(5):057006. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13855
Wardhani K, Yazzie S, Edeh O, Grimes M, Dixson C, Jacquez Q, Zychowski KE. Neuroinflammation is dependent on sex and ovarian hormone presence following acute woodsmoke exposure. Scientific Reports. 2024 Jun 6;14(1):12995. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-63562-2
Couig MP, Lavin R, Rogers HH, Nugent SB. The Public Health Crisis Conceptual Model: Historical Application to the World’s First Nuclear Bomb Test. Social Sciences. 2024; 13(4):186. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13040186
Miller C, Neidhart A, Hess K, Ali AM, Benavidez A, Spilde M, Peterson E, Brearley A, Wang X, Dhanapala BD, Cerrato JM. Uranium accumulation in environmentally relevant microplastics and agricultural soil at acidic and circumneutral pH. Science of The Total Environment. 2024 May 20;926:171834. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171834
Levin R, Villanueva CM, Beene D, Cradock AL, Donat-Vargas C, Lewis J, Martinez-Morata I, Minovi D, Nigra AE, Olson ED, Schaider LA. US drinking water quality: exposure risk profiles for seven legacy and emerging contaminants. Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology. 2024 Jan;34(1):3-22. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10907308/
Hoover JH, Coker ES, Erdei E, Luo L, Begay D, MacKenzie D, NBCS Study Team, Lewis J. Preterm Birth and Metal Mixture Exposure among Pregnant Women from the Navajo Birth Cohort Study. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2023 Dec 18;131(12):127014. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10361
Meza I, Hua H, Gagnon K, Mulchandani A, Gonzalez-Estrella J, Burns PC, Ali AM, Spilde M, Peterson E, Lichtner P, Cerrato JM. Removal of Aqueous Uranyl and Arsenate Mixtures after Reaction with Limestone, PO43–, and Ca2+. Environmental Science & Technology. 2023 Nov 29. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c03809
(A 2024 NIEHS Paper of the Year)
Quiambao J, Hess KZ, Johnston S, El Hayek E, Noureddine A, Ali AM, Spilde M, Brearley A, Lichtner P, Cerrato JM, Howe KJ, Gonzalez-Estella, J. Interfacial Interactions of Uranium and Arsenic with Microplastics: From Field Detection to Controlled Laboratory Tests. Environmental Engineering Science. 2023 Jun 12. https://doi.org/10.1089/ees.2023.0054
(Awarded the “AEESP/Mary Ann Liebert Award for Publication Excellence in Environmental Engineering Science”)