Cancer and birth defects in India’s uranium mining area

Koodankulam struggle: Western nations are learning from their mistakes, India is not, The Weekend Leader, By Nityanand Jayaraman & Sundar Rajan, 30 Nov “…..In Jadugoda, Jharkhand, where India’s uranium is mined by the Uranium Corporation of India Ltd, the effects of radiation among the local adivasi population are horrendous.

Indian Doctors for Peace and Development, a national chapter of the Nobel-winning International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War, recently published a health study on Jadugoda. The study found that:
• Primary sterility is more common in people residing near uranium mining operations.
• More children with congenital deformities are being born to mothers living near uranium mining operations.
• Congenital defects as a cause of death of children are higher among mothers living near uranium mines.
• Cancer as a cause of death is more common in villages surrounding uranium operations.
• Life expectancy of people living near uranium mining operations is lower than Jharkhand’s state average and lower than in villages far removed from the mines.
• All these indicators of poor health and increased vulnerability are despite the fact that the affected villages have a better economic and literacy status than reference villages….. http://www.theweekendleader.com/Causes/833/Nuking-myths.html

December 5, 2016 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, India, Reference, Uranium

1 Comment »

There is an important film about India’s uranium mining area. BUDDHA WEEPS IN JADUGODA.

We screened BUDDHA WEEPS IN JADUGODA last may in Rio de Janeiro.
Read here the statement of film director Shri Prakash about the mining area and his film:
“Jadugoda is an area in the state of Bihar populated by Adivasi (indigenous
peoples of India). It first came into prominence when uranium deposits were
discovered in the area, since Jadugoda is India’s only underground uranium mine.
The film documents the devastating effects of uranium mining by Uranium
Corporation of India Limited in Jadugoda. For the last thirty years, the radioactive
wastes have been just dumped into the rice fields of the Adivasis. The government
agency mining the uranium makes no attempt to protect the lives of the people
and environment of the area. The unsafe mining of uranium has resulted in
excessive radiation which has led to genetic mutations and slow deaths. Medical
reports reveal that the impact of radiation on the health of tribal peoples has
already been devastating. The film is an attempt to record the tragedy that has
played havoc with the lives of the people of Jadugoda.”

Buddha Weeps in Jadugoda (Ragi Kana Ko Bonga Buru), India, 1999, 52 min,
Director: Shri Prakash.

“Buddha Weeps in Jadugoda was one of the most remarkable and most important
films of our Uranium Film Festival. In a time, when the Governments of Brazil and
India are creating nuclear energy and uranium partnerships, it is important that such
critical films are crossing the borders between our countries too.”
Norbert G. Suchanek, Uranium Film Festival Director
http://www.uraniumfilmfestival.org

Comment by Urânio em Moviemento (@URANIUMFESTIVAL) | December 1, 2011 | Reply