User:Demilaw/Uranium mining and the Navajo people

Enduring Impact


 * The classification: technological and human-caused environmental disaster is named this way because of the damaging environmental and health impacts that uranium mining and milling is for the Navajo people, although said to be unintentional damage.
 * This subject continues to devalue environmental characteristics. Such as, contaminating the soil, plant’s survival, and water. Additionally, livestock’s dependency on clean food and water sources that are being slowly lost and that may not recover.

Brief Overview: How it Started
 * The challenge of needing to survive was the gateway of uranium mining on the Navajo reservation.It ultimately caused environmental health issues and injustices for the Navajo people.

Gold King Mine Spill
On August 5, 2015, the Animas and the San Juan River were affected by the Gold King Mine spill in Colorado, when the EPA tried to drain the water near the entrance of the mine. About 3 million gallons of water seeped out in a blowout event. The contaminated water included iron, lead, aluminum, zinc, and cadmium, and seeped into the Animas river, eventually in the San Juan river. This spill affected the agriculture of the navajo people. The spill was an environmental disasters in the region and came in the middle of growing season for hay and alfalfa.

The EPA takes responsibility for the spill, however they have not provided any compensation to residents who have been affected by this spill.

Duara, Nigel. “How the Gold King Mine Spill Continues to Affect Navajo Life.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2015, www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-ff-navajo-qa-20151125-story.html.

Heinsius, Ryan. “Navajo Farmers and Ranchers File $75 Million Suit Against EPA for Gold King Mine Spill.” KNAU Arizona Public Radio, 9 Aug. 2018, www.knau.org/post/navajo-farmers-and-ranchers-file-75-million-suit-against-epa-gold-king-mine-spill.

Elliott, Dan. “Three Years after Gold King Mine Spill, Victims Awaiting Payment from EPA.” The Denver Post, The Denver Post, 25 Jan. 2019, www.denverpost.com/2018/08/03/3-years-after-colorado-mine-spill-victims-awaiting-payment/.

Abandoned Mine Land Program

EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) maintains a partnership with the Navajo Nation. Since 1994, the Superfund Program has provided technical assistance and funding to assess potentially contaminated sites and to develop a response. The EPA has entered into enforcement agreements and settlements valued at over $1.7 billion to reduce the highest risks of radiation exposure to the Navajo people from AUMs (Abandoned Uranium Mines). As a result, funds are available to begin the assessment and cleanup process at 219 of the 523 abandoned uranium mines as of May 2019. https://www.epa.gov/navajo-nation-uranium-cleanup/cleaning-abandoned-uranium-mines

The Abandoned Uranium Mine Settlement fact sheet provides information on the separate enforcement agreements and settlements to address abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation. To learn more about EPA’s Superfund legal agreements please visit Negotiating Superfund Settlements. Uranium mining took place on the Navajo Nation from 1944 to 1986, and some local residents used materials from uranium mines when building their homes Mining materials that were used can potentially lead to exposure exceeding background (naturally occurring) levels. These materials include ore and waste rock used for foundations, walls, or fireplaces; mine tailings mixed into cement used for foundations, floors, and cinder block walls; and other contaminated building materials (wood, metal, etc.) that may have been salvaged from the abandoned mine areas.

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-08/documents/navajo_nation_contaminated_structures_program_factsheet.pdf

The EPA and the Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency’s (NNEPA) Contaminated Structures Program evaluates structures on Navajo Nation that may have been constructed using abandoned mine materials or built on or near abandoned mines. The Contaminated Structures Program is responsible for conducting evaluations of potentially contaminated structures, yards and material, as well as removal and cleanup of contaminated structures and materials if there is an exposure risk. The program is for Navajo residents living close to mines or who know their home was built with contaminated materials. Participation in the program is voluntary and at no cost to the resident.USEPA and NNEPA have completed over 1,100 assessments on Navajo Nation since the program began in 2007.

https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/negotiating-superfund-settlements

Areas affected by Abandoned Uranium Mines (Kevin's Picture)

Clean-up Efforts

The EPA and NNEPA prioritized 46 mines (called priority mines) based on gamma radiation levels, proximity to homes and potential for water contamination identified in preliminary assessments documented in the EPA Site Screen Reports. Detailed cleanup investigations will be conducted at these mines by the end of 2019. All documents can be found here. https://www.epa.gov/navajo-nation-uranium-cleanup/abandoned-mines-cleanup-related-documents#file-442341

All 46 priority mines are in the assessment phase which includes biological and cultural surveys, radiation scanning, and soil and water sampling. These assessments help to determine the extent of contamination. The assessment work at the 46 priority mines will be documented in Removal Site Evaluation reports which will be completed by the end of 2019. These reports will be shared with communities and made available on this website. https://www.epa.gov/navajo-nation-uranium-cleanup/abandoned-uranium-mines-site-screen-reports

The federal government seeks proposals from businesses to clean up abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation. $220 million available to small businesses to clean up Navajo uranium mines. The funding comes from a $1.7 billion settlement with Tronox, the successor of Kerr-McGee, a company that mined the region. During the Cold War companies extracted nearly 30 million tons of uranium from Navajo land. The EPA says it has funding to assess and clean up 220 of the 520 abandoned mines. The Request for Proposal can be found at www.fedconnect.net in the “Public Opportunities” section by searching Reference Number 68HE0918R0014. Contract proposals will be accepted through May 28, 2019.

https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/us-epa-announces-contract-opportunities-wort h-220-million-navajo-area-uranium-mine

Continued Effects and Research

Dr.Leon Gottlieb, a pulmonary specialist was the first physician that noted an increase in lung disorders among the Navajo uranium miners. He would later report in a 1982 study that showed of the 17 Navajos that were being observed for lung disorders in this case lung cancer, 16 of the Navajos were uranium miners. Along with studies regarding the correlation between uranium miners and lung cancer there have been other studies that suggest that miscarriages, birth defects, reproductive, bone and gastric cancer along with heart disease deaths have also been identified as related health effects of uranium mining. Even just living near a uranium mill mining area has been linked to birth defects among babies with mothers who live close to the mill, lung cancer, leukemia, cell damage, renal cancer, and stomach cancer. A study was conducted to compare residents who are close to the mining areas and those who are distant. The results show that the residents living near the mining areas suffered from 1500% increase in testicular and ovarian cancer in children; 500% increase in bone cancer in children;  250% increase in leukemia; and 200% increase in miscarriage, infant death, congenital defects, and learning disorders. Dr. Joseph Wagoner, a health expert collected data regarding the health effects of uranium since 1960 for the US Public Health Service, would report that from 1960 to 1974 there were 144 cancer deaths among 3,500 miners, 700 to 800 of whom were Navajo. Statistically, approximately 30 deaths would have been expected instead of the 144 which were discovered. Apart from respiratory diseases and other significant health problems the American Indian communities experienced psycho-social problems, such as depression and anxiety.

A study was conducted by the National University of General Martín, Avda Gral Paz to review the cellular consequences of the inhalation of uranium compounds. The accumulation of both insoluble and soluble uranium in macrophages (since macrophages are among the main cells to respond to internalized metallic particles) demonstrated that the exposure to both uranium compounds by inhalation resulted in the breakage of DNA strands along with an increase of inflammatory cytokines and hydro-peroxides production. This reviewed the molecular impacts of uranium contamination that could result in respiratory diseases (neoplasia and fibrosis).