New Brunswick Groups Say 'NO' to Uranium

Representative from SCARE says mining it isn't safe.

Tom Henheffer

Air pollution. Water contamination. Cancer. These all go hand in hand with uranium mining, according to Walter Moore.

"This is a matter of life and death," he says. "New Brunswick has the highest rate of cancer in Canada. So why would you want to bring in something to cause more cancer?" Exploratory drilling has been going on in New Brunswick for the past two years. A large supply of uranium has been found between Harvey and New Maryland. There's also interest in opening a mine outside of Moncton. If approved, mining could begin within 12 years.

"No mining company has ever, in history, cleaned up in a satisfactory manner," says Moore, chair of Support Citizens Against Radioactive Emissions New Brunswick, SCARE NB. The organization is trying to get the provincial government to pass a ban on uranium mining.

Moore said it's impossible to safely contain tailings, the radioactive ore left over after pure uranium has been extracted, for long periods of time. These tailings will remain radioactive for well over 80,000 years.

"Mines last only five to 15 years," he says. "After that the radioactive waste lasts forever. Radon gas can blow hundreds of miles... It leaves radioactive particles on plants, animals, people, and it gets into the water supply."

David Coon is a member of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick. He agrees with Moore and says his organization also wants a complete ban on uranium mining.

"Uranium degrades into very toxic and long lived by-products when you mill it and mine it. So you end up with major concerns about radon gas in the air and radium in the water.

Coon said people who live in communities with uranium mines, such as Elliot Lake and Port Hope in Ontario, are exposed to unsafe levels of radiation. He added those people have an increased risk of cancer.

Health Canada conducted a study in Elliot Lake. It found male residents had a 124 per cent higher risk for lung cancer, and women had a 65 per cent higher risk for colorectal cancer. The organization said the lung cancer was a result of higher smoking rates in Northern Ontario. It could not explain the colorectal cancer, but did not link it to radiation exposure.

"You cannot trust Health Canada," said Moore. Mines are ventilated so radioactive dust is let out into the atmosphere. The tailing ponds, where leftover radioactive ore is kept, flow into rivers in controlled amounts.

Read the complete article here: http://herenb.canadaeast.com/news/article/282991

See also:

http://sccchatham.blogspot.com/2008/04/home-sweet-radioactive-home-uranium-and.html

(Previous blog article on Elliot Lake Retirement...the hype and the reality)