THOUGH URANIUM IS FOUND NATURALLY in the environment, it can be
extremely toxic when mined ... In-situ leaching method used at uranium mining
sites.
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Uranium Mining 101
Though uranium is found naturally in the environment, it can be extremely toxic when mined and processed. When uranium is mined, other radioactive decay elements such as radium and thorium are released.1 Exposure to these radioactive elements can cause lung cancer, skin cancer, bone cancer, leukemia, kidney damage and birth defects.2 Recent research has found an association between exposure to mine waste and autoimmune dysfunction, including diabetes. Uranium mining can also release other toxic heavy metals such as arsenic, selenium, mercury and cadmium. Uranium has been used primarily for nuclear weapons and electric power generation, although it has also been used in various other products such as copper and nickel alloy production.3 In the United States, uranium is mined both at conventional surface mines as well as in-situ leach operations, which for the last 30 years have been the primary source of uranium production.4
In-situ leaching In-situ mining is a process where leaching chemicals (sulfuric acid or ammonium carbonate) are injected at high pressures into an underground ore body.5 The leaching chemicals bond with the uranium and are then pumped out of the ore-bearing aquifer. Although less invasive on the surface environment than open pit uranium mining, in-situ mining causes significant environmental pollution to underground aquifers. No ISL uranium operation in the U.S. has ever restored groundwater to pre-mining conditions. For more information on ISL mining, see the ISL Fact Sheet. Conventional Uranium Mining Uranium can be mined by open pit or underground methods similar to those used to recover other minerals such as gold or copper. Currently, there are no open pit uranium mines and only a few underground
In-situ leaching method used at uranium mining sites. Image credit: www.wise-uranium.org
mines in the United States. Conventional uranium mining results in large amounts of waste rock, which is the rock produced during open pit mining when overburden is removed, and during underground mining when driving tunnels through areas without ore, or with low-grade ore that isn’t economical to process. Piles of waste rock contain elevated concentrations of radiation compared to normal rock. Waste rock is left in uncovered and unlined piles on the ground, which allows the radioactive materials to mobilize via air and water.
The 1872 Mining Law and Uranium The antiquated 1872 Mining Law creates part of the regulatory framework for uranium mining. The law, which has remained relatively unchanged for 138 years, allows mining companies to take valuable minerals, including uranium, from public lands for free. The law has also been interpreted to give mining precedence over all other uses of public land. This 19th century law not only fails to address the environmental consequences of mining, but also fails to acknowledge the impact on local communities. Uranium Mining Disaster and Mining Legacy Many abandoned uranium mines have yet to be remediated, and still pose hazardous risks to the surrounding environment, and many of these abandoned mines lie on federal and tribal lands. As a result, tribes have suffered disproportionately from the
legacy of uranium mining. Church Rock, New Mexico was home to the largest release of radioactive waste in the US, larger than the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, and second only to Chernobyl.6 In 1979, an earthen tailings dam near the United Nuclear Corporation Church Rock uranium mine collapsed, spilling 90 million gallons of liquid radioactive waste and 1,100 tons of solid mill waste into the Rio Puerco river.7 The Church Rock spill contaminated land, water, and air at least 70 miles downstream on Navajo Nation land. Thirty years later, the Navajo Nation is still dealing with the aftermath of the spill.8 Today, the superfund site is still leaking radioactive waste.9
Protecting water, public health and communities Increased interest in nuclear power as a fuel source has lead to a recent boom in uranium exploration and development. The price of uranium went from an average of $12/lb in 2003 to $61/lb in 2008. Currently, the spot price of uranium is $ 41.75/lb. Over 60 uranium mines are currently permitted, and at least 26 mines are going through the permitting process. Better regulation of uranium mining is needed to ensure that communities, water resources and public health are protected. In addition to ensuring that whatever uranium mining does occur doesn’t threaten water or public health, significant clean up funds are needed to address the many issues surrounding abandoned uranium mines that continue to pollute western landscapes.
Church Rock Uranium Mine in New Mexico Photo: The New Mexico Independent
Endnotes
1
U.S. EPA Technical Report on Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials from Uranium Mining. Volume 1: Mining and Reclamation Background. June 2007
2
U.S. EPA Radiation Protection: Uranium, accessed 5/10/10. http://www.epa.gov/radiation/radionuclides/uranium.html
U.S. EPA Technical Report on Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials from Uranium Mining. Volume 1: Mining and Reclamation Background. June 2007
Golden Dreams, Poisoned Streams. Mineral Policy Center 1997.
World Information Service on Energy: Uranium Project (WISE), accessed 5/10/10. www.wise-uranium.org
The New Mexico Independent. New attention to Church Rock uranium spill comes 30 years later. Tracy Dingmann. July 2009 http:// newmexicoindependent.com/31989/31989
Ibid.
Killing Our Own: The Disaster of America’s Experience with Atomic Radiation. Harvey Wasserman & Norman Soloman. 1982 http:// www.ratical.org/radiation/KillingOurOwn/KOO9.html
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website, Northeast Church Rock Mine, accessed 5/10/2010, http://yosemite.epa.gov/r9/ sfund/r9sfdocw.nsf/ce6c60ee7382a473882571af007af70d/9beb6aeaf2fa058a88257353002bf7d6!OpenDocument
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