The health toll of India’s uranium mining

India’s uranium mines expose villages to radiation, DW 25 June 14 India plans to source a quarter of its energy from nuclear power by 2050. But this ambitious goal could come at a cost. Radioactive waste from uranium mines in the country’s east is contaminating nearby communities…….Local activist Kavita Birulee says the villagers here are terrified of the radioactive waste. In Jadugoda, rates of cancer, miscarriages and birth defects are climbing…….

Health-related deformities

Just 40 years ago, Jadugoda was a quiet and lush green locality with no dust or radiation pollution. The people here lived a quiet rural life. But things changed when the Indian government started mining operations here in 1967.

Radioactive waste generated by three nearby government-owned mines has caused serious health-related problems in Jadugoda. The mines belong to Uranium Corporation of India Limited – or UCIL. They employ 5,000 people and are an important source of income for villagers in this relatively remote area. But the waste has put 50,000 people, mostly from tribal communities, at risk.

A recent study of about 9,000 people in villages near the mines has documented cases of congenital deformities, infertility, cancer, respiratory problems and miscarriages.

Nuclear scientist Sanghmitra Gadekar, who was responsible for conducting the survey on radioactive pollution in villages near the mines, says there was a higher incidence of miscarriages and still births.

“Also, laborers were given only one uniform a week. They had to keep on wearing it and then take it home. There, the wives or daughters wash it in a contaminated pond, exposing them to radiation. It’s a vicious circle of radioactive pollution in Jadugoda,” he said…….

Grim future

The mines are on the doorstep of the area’s largest city, Jamshedpur. If radiation pollution isn’t controlled, more people will be affected in the future. Local officials, however, are proud of their role in India’s nuclear defense industry.

Anti-nuclear pollution activist Xavier Dias has been trying to alert locals about the dangers presented by the mines.

“When you are talking about Jamshedpur, you are talking about a thousand ancillary industries, a huge population,” he said. “These are dust particles that fly around. They enter the water, the fauna, flora, the food system. And they are killers, but they are slow killers. They kill over generations.” http://www.dw.de/indias-uranium-mines-expose-villages-to-radiation/a-17730703

June 26, 2014 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, India, Uranium

2 Comments »

Need to take some action or take decision on this uranium mining a

Comment by noblehospital | July 3, 2014 | Reply
Uranium Corporation of India Ltd. has responded to the above story originally published in dw.de.
The allegations listed in the story are nothing but slander and fictitious. This is the same old story taking round in media circle since last decade and it may be the classic example of “cut and paste” journalism. UCIL being a responsible company has clarified the doubts on every occasion. There is paragraph wise response given below:
Nearby, a woman pumps up water from a tube well. She then beats a miner’s uniform that belongs to her brother. He works nearby, in the uranium mines.

Miners are not allowed to take their uniform to home, as there is elaborate arrangement for washing of uniforms in company premises.
Suddenly a gust of wind blows black dust from the mines into the courtyard. The women cover their faces and rush to cover the pots of water so they don’t get contaminated.
There is factual mistake as Jadugoda mine is an under ground mine, therefore the question of “Black dust” coming from mine to courtyard does not arise.
Local activist Kavita Birulee says the villagers here are terrified of the radioactive waste. In Jadugoda, rates of cancer, miscarriages and birth defects are climbing. Birulee says she herself was thrown out of her home after suffering two miscarriages.

“My husband abandoned me. I was called a baanjh, which means sterile or infertile. I was dragged out of my in-laws’ house,” she said. “Uranium waste has ruined my life. This has made us social outcasts. Now, people are hesitant to marry their boys to Jadugoda girls.”

There are four schools run and managed by UCIL, where more the three thousand students are studying and there is constant pressure on management to open new classes so that more students can be accommodated. The majority of students are from tribal community residing in nearby villages. This is enough to answer your allegation. As for as health issues are concerned,
on the suggestion of the environment committee of the legislative council of Bihar, a health survey of all the residents within 2 Km of UCIL was jointly undertaken by a medical team comprising doctors from Bihar Government and UCIL in the year 1998. Around 3400 persons were examined and 31 persons were short listed for further investigations. Detailed examinations of short listed persons were also carried out. Subsequently these cases were reviewed by a team of experts comprising medical and radiation safety personnel from BARC, UCIL, nuclear medicine specialists from Tata Main Hospital (Jamshedpur) and doctors from Bihar government including the Civil Surgeon of Singhbhum east District. After such detailed review, the team was convinced and unanimously agreed that the disease pattern cannot be ascribed to radiation exposure in any of these cases. The report clearly stated “The consensus of all the doctors was that the cases examined had congenital limb anomalies, diseases due to genetic abnormalities like thalassaemia major and retinitis pigmentosa, moderate to gross splenomegaly due to chronic malarial infection (as this is a hyper endemic area), malnutrition, post encephalitic and post-head injury sequel”. The medical survey by specialist did not identify any patient suffering from radiation related disease either.
For the rest of the story, UCIL would like to advice your correspondent to follow standards survey methodology instead of relying on rumours and hearsays.
Please do take steps to provide proper information to people as given in this rejoinder.

Comment by Atul Bajpai | July 3, 2014 | Reply