Delhi Groundwater Contaminated with Uranium: Could It Be Damaging Your Kidneys?

The latest Annual Ground Water Quality Report 2025 submitted by the Central Ground Water Board has raised a red flag with uranium levels above the acceptable threshold of 30 ppb (parts per billion) found. According to the report, 13 to 15 per cent of the analysed samples are worrying for public health and drinking-water safety. The current levels also mark a worrying rise from 2020, when a detailed assessment revealed that the radioactive metal exceeded the threshold in 11.7 per cent of the samples. With the latest figures, the national capital has now become third in the country after Punjab and Haryana, in the percentage of samples breaching the permissible limit. This new report has now triggered concern among environmental groups, which

have sought more granular water quality data and details of treatment protocols being followed. Also, according to experts, high levels of uranium can affect the kidneys - primarily due to its chemical toxicity.

How does uranium in water affect your health?

Uranium in water can cause nephrotoxicity and damage to kidney tubules. According to studies, long-term exposure to elevated uranium concentrations is associated with impaired kidney function – even though more clinical investigation is needed to fully understand the dose-response relationship in humans. Reports published in various environmental journals have included data from various sources, which say that much of the high-uranium groundwater also includes issues like high salinity, fluoride, and nitrate – all of which are unsuitable for human consumption. However, the direct evidence of the impact of uranium exposure on humans is the issue of chronic kidney disease, deformity of bones, and the liver. Though the main source of the uranium contamination is natural, human factors such as groundwater table decline and prevalence of nitrate pollution may exacerbate the problem.

How does uranium affect your kidneys?

Chemical toxicity

Experts say that since uranium is a nephrotoxic substance, it acts as a poison that can damage your kidneys.

Tubular damage

Uranium specifically affects the tubular functions of your kidney, which include Reabsorption of useful substances like water, glucose, amino acids, and electrolytes from the filtered fluid back into the blood, and secretion of waste products, excess ions, and toxins from the blood into the tubules to be excreted. These processes, along with the regulation of acid-base balance, ensure the body maintains proper hydration, electrolyte balance, and waste removal.

Chronic kidney disease

Doctors say your kidneys are the primary target organ for uranium toxicity. The accumulation of this chemical leads to tubular cell death and inflammation, which are contributing factors to CKD.

Cellular stress

Uranium exposure causes oxidative stress, DNA damage, and cell death within the kidney cells.

Changes in biomarkers

According to experts, toxicity of uranium causes changes in various biomarkers - including increased levels of urine alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and N-acetylglutamate – all of which spike serum creatinine.

Can uranium exposure cause cancer?

Since uranium is a radioactive chemical, its exposure increases a person’s calculated risk of developing cancer. However, the Committee on the Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation has in the past reported that eating food or drinking water that has background amounts of uranium will most likely not cause cancer or other health problems in most people. No human cancer of any type has ever been seen as a result of exposure to natural or depleted uranium. The chance of developing cancer is greater with exposure to enriched uranium, because it is more radioactive than natural uranium.