Nuclear Energy

Part III: Radiation Emission in Nuclear Fuel Cycle, and its Impact on Life
Man-made radiation is released at all stages of the nuclear fuel cycle.
1. Uranium Mining
Uranium miners are at great risk because they are exposed to high concentrations of a
radioactive gas called radon 222. Radon 222 is a decay product of uranium and is a highly
carcinogenic alpha emitter. If inhaled, it can deposit in the air passages of the lung, irradiating cells
that then become malignant.
Uranium miners are also exposed to radium 226, another lethal uranium daughter, which is
an alpha and gamma emitter with a half-life of 1,600 years. Radium is an integral component of
uranium dust in the mine. When this is swallowed, radium is absorbed from the stomach into the
body and deposits in the bones. It causes osteogenic sarcoma, a highly malignant bone cancer, and
leukemia, because white blood cells are manufactured in the bone marrow.
Uranium daughters present in the ore also emit gamma radiation, which emanates from the
surface of the uranium mine. So, miners are also exposed to a constant, whole-body radiation (like
X-rays), which irradiates their bodies and continuously exposes their reproductive organs. lxxv
As a result, uranium miners suffer from a very high incidence of cancer. One-fifth to one-
half of the uranium miners in North America, many of whom were Native Americans, have died
and are continuing to die of lung cancer. Records reveal that uranium miners in other countries,
including Germany, Namibia, and Russia, suffer a similar fate. lxxvi
Waste rock
The waste produced during mining, called waste rock or mine tailings, is in huge quantities
– it is several times higher than the amount of ore mined. This is left lying in huge heaps adjacent to
the mine, exposed to the air and the rain. The waste rock contains Uranium ore of too low grade for
processing in the mill, and decay products of Uranium.
So long as the uranium deposit was undisturbed, the radiation was trapped underground. But
now that the ore is mined, the waste rock piles present hazards to residents and the environment,
even after the shutdown of the mines: radon gas can escape into the air; ore dust can be blown by
the wind; and uranium and its decay products can seep into surface water bodies and groundwater.
Being radioactive and toxic, they contaminate the environment.
Most uranium mines in the USA are situated on or adjacent to indigenous tribal lands of the
Navajo nation, located in the Four Corners area (the intersection of Arizona, Colorado, New
Mexico and Utah) in the American Southwest. The more than 250 million tons of uranium tailings
lying here in the open constantly leak radon-222 into the air, exposing the indigenous populations
who live nearby. As they inhale the radon, many of these people have developed or are developing
lung cancer. The radioactive debris has also polluted the underground water and the Colorado river;
water from this river is used for agriculture and drinking by 30 million people downstream in
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