How many uranium mines are on the Navajo Nation?

How many uranium mines are on the Navajo Nation?

There are over 500 abandoned uranium mines on Navajo Nation. This page provides information about contamination from the mines and how it is being addressed.

How many abandoned uranium mines are in the US?

4,000 abandoned uranium mines
There are approximately 4,000 abandoned uranium mines in Western states. At least 500 are located on land controlled by the Navajo Nation. Diné (Navajo) people have suffered some of the worst consequences of U.S. uranium production, including cancer clusters and water contamination.

When did uranium mining end in the Navajo Nation?

1986
For The Navajo Nation, Uranium Mining’s Deadly Legacy Lingers : Shots – Health News Uranium mining on Navajo lands ended in 1986, but the tribe is still suffering profound health effects. The government started cleanup only recently; many of the polluters have gone out of business.

What is the estimated percentage of Navajo homes affected by uranium exposure?

85 percent
Experts estimate that as a result, 85 percent of all Navajo homes are currently contaminated with uranium. A sign along Highway 89 on the Navajo Nation in Arizona.

Is uranium mining still occurring on native lands?

Since 1988, the Navajo Nation’s Abandoned Mine Lands program reclaims mines and cleans mining sites, but significant problems from the legacy of uranium mining and milling persist today on the Navajo Nation and in the states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona.

Do people still mine for uranium?

No mining has been done since 2002, even though the state has second-largest known uranium ore reserves in the US.

Are old uranium mines radioactive?

Uranium eventually decays to radium. Radium decays to release a radioactive gas called radon. Open pit uranium milling and in situ mining sites do not pose a significant radon risk to the public or to miners; the radon disperses into the atmosphere. Underground mines can present a radiation hazard to miners.

Is the Navajo Nation now considered a Superfund site?

EPA Releases Eighth Update to the Administrator’s Superfund Emphasis List, Navajo Abandoned Uranium Mines added. In this latest update, the Abandoned Uranium Mines contamination in the Navajo Nation was added to the list and the Allied Paper, Inc./Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River site in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the St.

How destructive is uranium mining?

As we have already established, uranium mining is an extremely destructive and problematic process. It uses a rage of toxic chemicals, pollutes local water supplies, and results in millions of tonnes of toxic waste every year. The average nuclear reactor requires 25 tonnes of uranium every year.