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

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

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

USGS Scientist at Work
Erika Lentz examines Pennsylvanian coal samples in West Virginia. ...
Location: WV, USA