Human Rights Forum urges stop to new uranium mining in Kadapa, India
Excessive mining in AP uranium plant opposed http://www.deccanherald.com/content/333841/excessive-mining-ap-uranium-plant.html Hyderabad, May 21, 2013, DHNS:
The HRF has been opposing the proposed 4,500 TPD (tonnes per day) in comparison with the current 3,000 TPD.
The HRF, in a press release, stated that the excessive mining of uranium will make the land futile and deplete the groundwater. The scars left by increased uranium mining will be permanent. HRF’s claims are backed by the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports.
The uranium mining can eventually harm individuals. To evaluate the aftereffects of uranium mining, one has just to visit Jaduguda in Jharkhand where uranium mining takes place.
Radiation exposure led to blindness in Kayelekera uranium mine worker
Man loses sight due to Kayelekera radiation, SUNDAY TIMES, 19 MAY 2013 KAREN MSISKA It is all doom and gloom for a Kayelekera Uranium Mine ex-employee who has lost his sight, his job and any means of eking out a leaving to fend for his extended family.
On July 7, 2010, Abraham Siliwonde started working as a labourer at [Australian] Paladin Africa’s Kayelekera Mine in Karonga bubbling with hope that he would use the remuneration to improve living standards in his household.
But less than three years later, the 31-year-old, along with his six children and five wards from his deceased relatives, is a mere dependent on a small banana business his wife conducts at Karonga town market.
He lost sight in July 2012 and medical examinations have linked his condition, uveitis or inflammation of the uvea – the part of the eye that contains the iris and ciliary body and choroid – to exposure to radioactive chemicals.
Uranium ore is known to be highly radioactive.”In February 2012, I was moved to spotting. This is where one stands and guides the dumpers on where to drop the uranium ore from the pit as it is set to get into the crusher, the first point in uranium processing,” said Siliwonde on Friday.
“I was guiding dumpers carrying high grade uranium ore; the other grades are low and medium. I could feel intense heat from lumps of uranium ore and the next day I would be passing yellowish urine and feeling malarial symptoms.” He said regardless of the gear one puts on while at spotting, they feel the heat being emitted by the uranium ore, stressing “the situation is worsened by supervisors who keep people there longer than more productive.”
He said he was drafted into driving dumpers in January 2012 but by July, he had lost his vision and instead of working, he was a continuous visitor to health facilities seeking to restore his vision. ”After a series of visits to the mine clinic at Kayelekera, I was referred to Karonga district hospital where I was further referred to Mzuzu central hospital on 30 November 2012,” he added.
“At Mzuzu Central Hospital, they asked whether I had an eye operation before because they said my eyes had cracks. I underwent strenuous tests but after telling them the environment I was working in, they identified exposure to radiation as the possible cause and referred me to Kamuzu Central Hospital.”
According to medical documents The Sunday Times has seen, Siliwonde’s reference to Kamuzu Central Hospital’s Lions Sight First Eye Hospital was “to determine if patient’s condition may indeed be due to uranium dust exposure.” His situation was not improving even with spectacles. A reference report dated April 15, 2013 indicates that Siliwonde’s acuity (sharpness of vision) for both eyes had slightly improved to 6/36 from 6/60.
A report signed by Dr J Msosa, Chief Ophthalmologist at Lions Sight First Eye hospital, confirms exposure to radiation as the possible cause.
Part of the report reads: “The vitritis (posterior uveitis) may indeed be due to exposure to radiation. It is well known that all radioactive substances can cause radiation retinopathy which appears like posterior uveitis………
“The only source of income is a small banana business my wife conducts. It’s a pity that the situation at Kayelekera is not closely monitored. A lot of people are suffering because they are exposed to radioactive dust blowing from the pit area since the surface is not kept wet as per agreement.”
However, Paladin officials pushed the bucket to one of their contractors. In response to an emailed questionnaire, Paladin Energy Limited’s General Manager – International Affairs, Greg Walker, said Siliwonde was employed by one of their contractors at the mine. He added that the issue has not been brought to Paladin’s attention……http://www.bnltimes.com/index.php/sunday-times/headlines/national/15108-man-loses-sight-due-to-kayelekera-radiation
Judge rules to keep ban on new uranium mining in grand Canyon
Judge Rejects Uranium Mining Industry Attempt to Repeal Ban on Grand Canyon Mining, Earth Justice Ted Zukoski Ruling again rejects attack on DOI’S authority to temporarily protect lands MAY 16, 2013 GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, AZ —
Bad news for some years for the uranium ndustry
Uranium on the nose, The Motley Fool By Mike King – May 16, 2013 More than 26 months after the nuclear accident at Fukushima, Japan, the nuclear industry is still feeling the effects with depressed uranium prices and cost pressures that are squeezing margins……
The price for uranium has fallen 40% since Fukushima to US$40 a pound, as Japan suspended its fleet of nuclear plants, while Germany…
….. the uranium price could stagnate at current levels for many years, much like it did after previous nuclear incidents. Japan may not restart its reactors, preferring instead to seek other energy alternatives, and reactors currently under construction could still be cancelled or postponed.
That is not good news for ASX listed uranium miners Paladin, Energy Resources of Australia (ASX: ERA), Toro Energy (ASX: TOE) or Deep Yellow Limited (ASX: DYL). http://www.fool.com.au/2013/05/16/uranium-on-the-nose/
USA’s dependence on foreign uranium
Not Just Oil: The US is also Dependent on Foreign Uranium Oil Price.com, By MINING.com | , 14 May 2013 What most Americans don’t realize is that dependence on foreign oil isn’t the main obstacle to US energy autonomy. If you think America’s energy supply issues begin and end with the Middle East, think again. One of the most critical sources of foreign energy is due to dry up this year, and the results could mean spiking electricity prices across the country.
In 2011, the US used 4,128 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity. Nuclear power provided 790.2 billion kWh, or 19% of the total electrical output in the US. Few people know that one in five US households is powered by nuclear energy, and that the price of that nuclear power has been artificially stabilized. Unfortunately for us, the vast majority of the fuel used for powering our homes must be imported……
If this information is news to you, you are not alone. While the mainstream media focus on the US’s “Middle Eastern energy dependence,” the real story remains unnoticed. That’s why Casey Research invited the field’s top experts – including former US Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham and Chairman Emeritus of the UK Atomic Energy Authority Lady Barbara Judge – for a frank discussion of what we think is America’s greatest energy challenge.
By. Casey Research via Mining.com http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/Not-Just-Oil-The-US-is-also-Dependent-on-Foreign-Uranium.html
Time to tighten regulation of the uranium market
The Global Market in Natural Uranium—From Proliferation Risk to Non-Proliferation Opportunity U
ranium remains a critical component of civil-military nuclear programs. Today, Ian Anthony and Lina Grip reveal that the global market for natural uranium remains relatively unchecked, as does the activities of new exporters from the developing world.
ISN, By Ian Anthony and Lina Grip for SIPRI, 13 May 13,
The effort to cap the number of nuclear armed states in the world has largely focused on limiting the spread of the industrial items and processes needed for the stages of the fuel cycle that can turn uranium or plutonium into forms that could be used to make a nuclear weapon: enrichment or reprocessing.
The most important suppliers of nuclear technology have recently agreed guidelines to restrict access to the most sensitive industrial items, in the framework of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Nevertheless, the number of countries proficient in these industrial processes has increased over time, and it is now questionable whether a strategy based on close monitoring of technology ‘choke points’ is by itself a reliable barrier to nuclear proliferation.
Time to tighten regulation of the uranium market?……Restricting access to natural uranium could be an important aspect of the global efforts to obstruct the spread of nuclear weapons. The time is ripe to start thinking seriously about the design of such control measures and how responsibility can be shared across the non-proliferation regime.http://www.isn.ethz.ch/isn/Digital-Library/Articles/Detail/?lng=en&id=163968
Loss posted for Mega Uranium
Mega Uranium Ltd. Releases Unaudited Results for the Three and Six Months Ended March 31, 2013, Market watch, 14 May 13, “…….Summary results for the three months ended March 31, 2013, as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2012:
-- Net loss for the three months ended March 31, 2013 was $2.6 million
($0.01 per common share) compared to a net loss of $0.4 million for the
three months ended March 31, 2012 ($0.00 per common share).
….Summary results for the six months ended March 31, 2013, as compared to the six months ended March 31, 2012:
-- Net loss for the six months ended March 31, 2013 was $4.2 million ($0.02
per common share) compared to a net loss of $1.1 million for the six
months ended March 31, 2012 ($0.00 per common share).......
Loss posted for Uranium One
Uranium One posts $9.5m Q1 loss, production up 10% Mining Weekly, By: Natasha Odendaal 14th May 2013 JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – JSE- and TSX-listed Uranium One on Monday reported a net loss of $9.5-million for the first quarter ended March 31.
This was down from earnings of $4.5-million recorded in the comparative period the year before.
The group, which owns assets in Kazakhstan, the US, Australia and Tanzania, recorded a 60% drop in earnings from mine operations, including joint ventures (JVs), reaching $19.6-million during the first quarter, compared with the $49.3-million achieved in the corresponding period the year before.
Revenue for the period dipped to $5.2-million, from $5.3-million in the first quarter of 2012, while its JV operations contributed revenue of $57.4-million, down from the $90.6-million earned in the comparative quarter last year.
Uranium sales also declined year-on-year with 1.38-million pounds of uranium sold at an average price of $45/lb in the first quarter, compared with the 1.8-million pounds sold at $53/lb in the first quarter of 2012…… the company warned that the year ahead would be capital intensive as it incurred capital expenditure of $164-million on its assets in Kazakhstan, the US and Australia.
About $98-million was allocated for wellfield development, and the remaining $66-million for plant and equipment.
Uranium One noted that general and administrative expenses – excluding noncash items – were expected to reach about $40-million.
Exploration expenses were expected to reach $8-million. http://www.miningweekly.com/article/uranium-one-posts-95m-q1-loss-production-up-10-2013-05-14
Navajo’s continuing fight against nuclear corporations, uranium companies
The Navajo people’s struggle to prevent the re-entry of mining corporations has so far been successful. It is fair to assume that as long as valuable resources remain on Indigenous lands profit-hungry corporations will continue to circle like vultures.
Navajo Nation battles uranium corporations, nuclear industry Decades of dealing with environmental degradation, racism, Liberation, By Bethany Woody MAY 8, 2013 “……….In early 2013, uranium companies approached the Navajo Nation in hopes they will allow them to renew mining operations on their land. These companies claim that they have developed newer and safer methods for extracting uranium, after decades of environmental destruction and abuse led the Navajo Nation to officially ban their mining. Continue reading
Crash go earnings and share price for uranium miner Cameco
Cameco Profit Trails Analysts’ Estimates as Uranium Price Drops http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-01/cameco-profit-trails-analysts-estimates-as-uranium-price-drops.html By Christopher Donville – May 1, 2013 Cameco Corp. (CCO), the world’s third- largest uranium producer, reported first-quarter profit and revenue that trailed analysts’ estimates after a decline in the price of the raw material in nuclear-reactor fuel.
Net income fell to C$9 million ($8.9 million), or 2 cents a share, from C$129 million, or 33 cents, a year earlier, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan-based Cameco said today in a statement. Profit excluding one-time items was 7 cents a share, missing the 8-cent average of 14 estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Sales declined to C$444 million from C$466 million, less than the C$473 million average of six estimates.The price of uranium for immediate delivery has slumped 40 percent since the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami in Japan led to a meltdown at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant. In response to the disaster, Japan suspended its fleet of reactors while Germany canceled license extensions, shut down some of its oldest nuclear plants and ordered the others close by 2022.
“Fukushima is still a major factor in the uranium market,” Rob Chang, a Toronto-based analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald LP, said in a telephone interview before the results were released. “On top of that, commodity prices around the world have been dragged down by worries about global growth and Chinese demand for raw materials.”
Kazatomprom, Kazakhstan’s state-owned producer, and Paris- based Areva SA (AREVA) are the biggest uranium miners, according to the World Nuclear Association.
(Cameco scheduled a conference call to discuss results at 1 p.m. New York time at +1-877-240-9772or +1-416-340-8530.)
93% fall in earnings so far this year, for uranium mining company
Earnings down for Saskatoon uranium giant CBC News May 1, 2013 Lower sales, lower prices and higher costs pushed down first quarter results at Cameco.
So far this year, the Saskatoon-based uranium company earned $9 million — down 93 per cent from the $129 million Cameco made in the first quarter of 2012……
The company recently laid off a number of staff at its Saskatoon headquarters.
Cameco said most of the power utilities that buy its nuclear products are locked into contracts until 2016….. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2013/05/01/saskatoon-cameco-earnings.html
Groups band together to fight uranium mining near Grand Canyon
While uranium and radium are naturally-occurring radioactive materials, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns that once they are exposed or concentrated through mining, they become technologically-enhanced in such a way that renders them radioactive and capable of contaminating the surrounding soil and water.
Uranium Mine Just South Of Grand Canyon To Proceed Despite Ban By President Barack Obama http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/1673/20130430/uranium-mine-south-grand-canyon-proceed-despite-ban-president-barack.htm By Tamarra Kemsley Apr 30, 2013 Uranium mining company Energy Fuels Resources announced its plans to reopen its mine situated six miles south of the Grand Canyon’s South Rim entrance, citing a ban imposed last year by President Barack Obama as void.
The company was given federal approval by the U.S. Forest Service who conducted an environmental study on the site more than 25 years ago in 1986.
In response, several groups, including the Grand Canyon Trust, Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club and Havasupai Tribe, have banded together to file suit against Forest Supervisor of the Kaibab National Forest Michael Williams as well as the Forest Service as a whole.
The plaintiffs cite the group’s failure to comply with environmental, mining, public land and historic preservations laws in giving the mine a green light, arguing that since the completion of the Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) in 1986 “significant new information and changed circumstances have emerged concerning the Mine’s operations and adverse environmental impacts.”
Despite such developments, the plaintiffs state the Forest Service “decided not to ‘supplement’ the 1986 EIS” or “require a modification” of the plan of operations put forth more than two decades ago. Among the developments that have occurred since the mine was first approved is the regulation of radon gas, a substance the plaintiffs fear will pollute the area should the mine go forward.
While uranium and radium are naturally-occurring radioactive materials, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns that once they are exposed or concentrated through mining, they become technologically-enhanced in such a way that renders them radioactive and capable of contaminating the surrounding soil and water.
Since 1879, the EPA reports, uranium mine workers began being diagnosed with lung diseases, including cancer and that workers today are directly exposed to radiation hazards.
According to The Guardian, the energy company’s spokesman has publicly disputed these claims, stating that the Forest Service “looked at that review with modern eyes” in determining once again that the regulations were adequate. He further pointed out that the mines are “tiny,” accounting for about 20 acres total.
However, as The New York Times reports, the Department of Energy and other agencies have evaluated nearly 700 mine sites in need of remediation – a project costing the government hundreds of millions of dollars and that some complain has been largely ineffective.
VIDEO Iraq and USA soldiers – victims of the depleted uranium horror
while our many soldiers’ DU-related health problems is terrible enough on its own, we’ve also left Iraq covered in radioactive munitions fragments that, by the very virtue of having exploded, are essentially impossible to clean up. That is a huge, if overlooked, legacy of the United States’ wars in Iraq: Not only does Iraq have to deal with the physical toll of a decade-plus of war, it’s also been left with a huge, and ongoing, health crisis.
Video (skip the ad) America’s Terrible History of Depleted Uranium http://motherboard.vice.com/read/americas-terrible-history-of-depleted-uranium By Derek Mead 24 April 13, The United States has left its mark on Iraq in myriad ways in its two wars in the Persian Gulf, but one of the least-discussed is the effects of the US military’s use of depleted uranium (DU) munitions. DU is a munitions designer’s dream: projectiles using DU alloys are armor-piercing and incendiary, which means it’s ideal for obliterating and burning tanks and other armored vehicles. But its use has left the Gulf’s battlefields blanketed with radioactive material.
DU is byproduct of the production of the enriched uranium used in nuclear reactors, and as such has relatively low levels of radiation. But Gulf War soldiers were regularly exposed to it, not least when DU used in munitions converted into an aerosol form after explosions. That means that Gulf War soldiers may have been exposed without realizing it, and has long been blamed for contributing to Gulf War Syndrome, Continue reading
No agreement between USA and South Korea on enriching uranium
South Korea and U.S. Fail to Reach Deal on Nuclear Energy, NYT, By CHOE SANG-HUN, April 24, 2013 SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea and the Obama administration delayed the deadline for a deal that Seoul had hoped would allow it to begin making its own fuel for its civil nuclear energy program, but that the United States feared would undermine its attempts to curb nuclear proliferation. It had appeared that a deal might be reached this year, but officials in both countries said the deadline would slip until 2016.
The government of President Park Geun-hye has been pushing hard for the United States to lift a ban, part of a treaty signed in 1972, that prevents South Korea from enriching uranium and reprocessing spent nuclear fuel.
But the same technologies are also used to make material for nuclear weapons. American officials have said that lifting the ban would have complicated diplomatic efforts to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear programs and to stop any attempt by Iran to develop atomic weapons….. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/25/world/asia/south-korea-and-us-fail-to-reach-nuclear-energy-deal.html
Move to have uranium companies clean up their mess in Colorado
A Fight in Colorado Over Uranium Mines NYT, By DAN FROSCH April 16, 2013 SLICK ROCK, Colo.”……..Despite bursts of activity from 2003 through 2008, most uranium mines scattered across Colorado have largely been out of production for decades, a testament to fluctuating mineral prices. Now the future of these mines is at the crux of a dispute that could set a precedent for how they are handled.
Environmental groups in Colorado contend that many of the state’s 33 uranium mines should be forced to clean up, given that uranium mining, which flourished here during the cold war, has gone dormant. In legal filings, they have alleged that companies like Cotter are skirting potential costs associated with cleanup, which is required by the state after an operation shuts down. Continue reading
1 This Month
Website of the Week
New book – https://www.amazon.com/dp/1923372157?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Now until to February 10, 2026 Radioactive waste storage in France: the debate is finally open! How to participate?
-
Archives
- January 2026 (138)
- December 2025 (358)
- November 2025 (359)
- October 2025 (377)
- September 2025 (258)
- August 2025 (319)
- July 2025 (230)
- June 2025 (348)
- May 2025 (261)
- April 2025 (305)
- March 2025 (319)
- February 2025 (234)
-
Categories
- 1
- 1 NUCLEAR ISSUES
- business and costs
- climate change
- culture and arts
- ENERGY
- environment
- health
- history
- indigenous issues
- Legal
- marketing of nuclear
- media
- opposition to nuclear
- PERSONAL STORIES
- politics
- politics international
- Religion and ethics
- safety
- secrets,lies and civil liberties
- spinbuster
- technology
- Uranium
- wastes
- weapons and war
- Women
- 2 WORLD
- ACTION
- AFRICA
- Atrocities
- AUSTRALIA
- Christina's notes
- Christina's themes
- culture and arts
- Events
- Fuk 2022
- Fuk 2023
- Fukushima 2017
- Fukushima 2018
- fukushima 2019
- Fukushima 2020
- Fukushima 2021
- general
- global warming
- Humour (God we need it)
- Nuclear
- RARE EARTHS
- Reference
- resources – print
- Resources -audiovicual
- Weekly Newsletter
- World
- World Nuclear
- YouTube
-
RSS
Entries RSS
Comments RSS
nuclear-news 