BEN Patient
Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) patient from a BEN village in Romania. The photo was taken at a dialysis clinic in Romania where the patient traveled every 2 to 3 days to receive dialysis, the principal treatment option for people with BEN. This patient died from complications of BEN within a year ...
Location: Romania

Sampling a Sprint in BEN Village
USGS Researcher Calin Tatu sampling a spring in a Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) village in Romania. Samples of water are tested for the presence of toxic organic compounds that are linked to BEN....
Location: Romania

Kidney Size Comparison of BEN Victims
Normal size kidney (left) and a Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) kidney (right). The BEN kidney is reduced by one third compared to a normal kidney. The collapse of the kidney structure in the BEN kidney causes the organ to cease to function, resulting in uremia (blood poisoning) and requiring dialy...
Location: USA

Pliocene Lignite Coal from BEN Village
Closeup of Pliocene lignite coal from a Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) village in Serbia. Lignite is low rank, or relatively unaltered (soft, or “brown”) coal, and is characterized by a brownish color and appearance that often resembles wood. This lignite releases copious amounts of dissolved orga...
Location: Serbia

BEN Sampling in Serbia
USGS scientists Bill Orem (left) and Terry Lerch (right) recording data and collecting samples at a Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) household in Serbia. BEN patients typically come from small villages and are often farmers....
Location: Serbia

Pliocene Lignite Bed
Seam or bed of Pliocene lignite from a mine in the Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) area of Romania. Rainwater falling onto the surface penetrates into the ground, becoming ground water, and leaches toxic organic substances from this coal. The ground water continues to BEN villages in the valleys be...
Location: Romania

BEN Sampling in Serbia
USGS scientist Bill Orem (left) and Adrian Muntean, a colleague from Romania, sampling water from a well in a Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) household in Serbia. The scientists will analyze the water for the presence of coal-derived organic substances dissolved in the water. The USGS works closely...
Location: Serbia

Drinking Well in a BEN Village
A well, typical of those found in both Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) villages and non-BEN villages in the affected countries. Wells and springs are the primary drinking water supplies for these rural villages. In the BEN areas, these shallow wells are fed by groundwater that leaches nearby immatu...
Location: USA

Exposing Pliocene Lignite Bed Near a BEN Village
Nikola Pavlovic, a kidney specialist and a USGS collaborator on Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) studies from Serbia, is shown exposing a small Pliocene lignite bed near a BEN village in the Vratza area of Bulgaria. The Pliocene lignite seams vary greatly in size and extent. BEN villages are always ...
Location: Bulgaria