Health and environmental destruction in Africa, by foreign uranium companies

Health hazards posed by uranium mining IPP MEDIA 5th July 2013“……..History has it that uranium mining companies had never solved problems associated with extraction of uranium and also never employed good practice of settling uranium radioactive waste seriously after the mining activity is complete.

Of course, these foreign companies have their eyes fixed on maximising profits against corresponding safe infrastructure investment. Some of the companies run away from implementing this social cooperative responsibility to the poor ignorant communities.

This happens in countries where local atomic energy commissions are non-existent, or if present are under- equipped with the necessary human and material resources for effective supervision, monitoring and control of the foreign mining companies for radiation protection to the miners and the environment.

The whole population in the area surrounding the mines is endangered with the diseases mentioned above, lung cancer being the most serious for miners due to inhalation of radon gas in the pits and in the dusty atmosphere of the processing mills.

Uranium radioactive waste stored close to the mines can leach into ground water and contaminate drinking water. Other possibilities of radioactivity reaching humans and environment are a result of deficient radioactive waste management practices by the mining companies, coupled with other unavoidable natural carriers of the radionuclides like wind, rain, floods, fire, dam failure, earthquakes etc.

Radioactive waste contaminated water and substances are incorporated in the human body through both the respiratory and the digestive systems. The polluted water kills residents, animals, insects, natural vegetation of the affected environment.

Open pit mines can be hundreds of meters wide and deep and can entail destruction of the local ecosystem. The environment is polluted with radioactive materials either in solid, liquid and gaseous state. Water shortages can be caused by uranium mining and refining which need the input of large quantities of water, leading to water shortages, making it worse in other sectors of the society in many places in Africa where water supply is already problematic.

The large consumption of water as well as the direct health hazards of the contaminated water, damages the mining region both ecologically and economically – and therefore in-turn human health.

The extraction of water leads to a reduction of ground water table and desertification. Plants and animals die, the traditional means of subsistence for the local people and animals is thus destroyed. Here consider uranium mines located in the neighbourhood of exotic game reserves.

The immense amount of water that is used by the uranium mining represents another problem. For instance, the NGO network of Niger and France, examined the effects of uranium mines in Niger. They concluded that among other things, the mines consumed 270 billion litres of water, over 40 years of operation.

After use in the uranium mines, the contaminated water was dumped back into rivers and lakes. The consequence is the materials getting into the digestive system of the innocent and unaware local people. Many of the residents will die of cancer and related diseases.

Even when the uranium is no longer extracted, the health risks remain. Usually unused mines are flooded with water contaminated with radioactivity and heavy metals which keep seeping into ground water and into drinking water. The author of this study reports that the waste rock from mines is used for improving roads and building houses in Niger. Radioactive metals and articles from the mines are used for making cooking utensils……http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=56725