Uranium levels in Iranian drinking water were below guidelines, with modeled health risks varying by age

A study of drinking-water supplies in Arsanjan County, Iran, reported uranium, cesium, and rubidium concentrations and used Monte Carlo simulation to estimate age-specific uranium health risks. According to the article abstract, uranium concentrations were consistently below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization guideline of 30 µg/L. The maximum measured cesium concentration was 0.63 µg/L, while rubidium ranged from 2.04 to 13.94 µg/L.

The researchers assessed uranium through non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk calculations. In the modeled non-carcinogenic assessment, hazard quotient values were below 1 for every age group. Children younger than 2 years had the highest values, with a median hazard quotient of 0.028 and a 5th–95th percentile range of 0.012–0.061. These results are modeled estimates rather than observed health outcomes or evidence that the study directly measured adverse effects.

The simulations also produced an estimated median excess lifetime cancer morbidity risk of 1.58 × 10−6 and a median excess lifetime cancer mortality risk of 1.02 × 10−6 across all age groups. Sensitivity analysis identified uranium concentration as the most influential factor for both non-carcinogenic and excess cancer risk in the model. The abstract does not provide the sampling design, number of water samples, exposure assumptions, or uncertainty associated with the cancer-risk estimates beyond the reported percentile information for hazard quotients.

The authors said the results highlight the value of continued monitoring and age-specific risk assessment in regional drinking-water management. The available summary does not establish whether the modeled risks changed over time, whether the measured concentrations represent all drinking-water sources in the county, or whether the findings can be generalized beyond Arsanjan County. It also does not report health outcomes in residents, so the study should be interpreted as a concentration survey coupled with a probabilistic risk assessment rather than a clinical or epidemiological study.

Subject of Research: Monte Carlo assessment of uranium-related health risks in Arsanjan County drinking water

Article Title: Concentrations of uranium, cesium, and rubidium in drinking water and Monte Carlo–based age-specific health risk assessment of uranium

Article References: Mohammadpour, A., Golmohammadi, A.-M., Dehbandi, R., Shahrokh, M., Hashemi, H., & Gharaghani, M. A. (2026). Concentrations of uranium, cesium, and rubidium in drinking water and Monte Carlo–based age-specific health risk assessment of uranium. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-74880-y

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-74880-y

Keywords: drinking water, uranium, cesium, rubidium, Monte Carlo simulation, health risk assessment, hazard quotient, cancer risk, Iran, Arsanjan County, Concentrations, drinking