What is Uranium (U), Urine, Random?
Uranium is a naturally occurring radioactive heavy metal present in soil, rock, and groundwater at varying concentrations depending on local geology. The primary exposure route in the general population is drinking water — particularly from private wells in granite-rich geological areas — with secondary dietary contribution from food grown in uranium-rich soil. Uranium nephrotoxicity (chemical rather than radiological) results from accumulation in proximal renal tubular cells, where it competes with iron at transferrin binding sites and impairs mitochondrial function.