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Uranium Mining Essay

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Health Effects of Uranium Mining Uranium was discovered in Cove, Arizona and then it was elsewhere in the reservation. There were four centers of mining and milling operated on reservation land near Shiprock, New Mexico include the Carrizo Mountains, near Cove; Monument Valley, Utah; Church Rock, New Mexico; and Kayenta, Arizona. In addition, many Navajo people traveled to mines off the reservation seeking work and would often move their families with them in mine camps. The mineworkers were paid an hourly wage was less than a dollar. The jobs held included blasters, timber men, muckers, transporters, and millers. Navajo mineworkers reported that their bosses were usually Caucasians. The foremen were rarely ever in the mines. Mines ranged …show more content…

The Superfund Program has provided technical assistance and funding to assess potentially contaminated sites and develop a response. In August of 2007, the Superfund Program compiled a Comprehensive Database and Atlas assessments of all known Uranium mines on the Navajo Nation. At the request of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the EPA, along with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Department of Energy, and the Indian Health Service developed a coordinated Five-Year Plan to address Uranium contamination in consultation with Navajo Nation EPA. In January of 2013, six Federal agencies, in consultation with the Navajo Nation, completed a five-year effort to address Uranium contamination in the Navajo Nation. The effort focused on the most imminent risks to people living on the Navajo Nation. While the last five years represent a significant start in addressing the legacy of Uranium mining, much work remains and the same federal agencies have collaborated to issue a second Five-Year Plan. The purpose of the second Five-Year Plan is to build on the work of the first plan, make adjustments based on information gained during this period, and plan the next steps in addressing the most significant risks to human health and the

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