[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/EW-01-11-13-Uranium.mp3|titles=EW 01-11-13 Uranium]
Most of us who worry about the safety of nuclear power plants think immediately of the reactors. The last thing we want is a Fukushima-style meltdown that results in many square miles of uninhabitable land. Imagine whole neighborhoods, schools, and shopping districts left as abandoned ghost towns.
We also worry about the waste nuclear power plants generate. Despite decades of controversy, the U.S. still doesn’t have a good plan for nuclear waste disposal.
Now, we have a new concern—mining uranium ore. What used to happen in sparse Southwestern deserts or the Australian outback may soon appear near populated areas. Some 110 million pounds of uranium is sitting in a deposit near Coles Hill, Virginia—and a company is looking to exploit it.
Currently, Virginia has a moratorium on uranium mining. But the state is ill-equipped to regulate mining activity, should it be allowed. Mining produces wastes, or tailings piles, which can contaminate water. Uranium tailings also release radon gas, the second leading cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking.
Around the world, there is a lengthy history of uranium mining. We know a lot about what’s worked and what’s caused problems. Few existing mines are located in regions like Virginia, where rain and snowmelt lead to runoff in streams and rivers. And there is little or no precedent for how to engineer mines to deal with catastrophic floods, such as those associated with hurricanes.
All this says that we should proceed slowly with any decision to mine uranium in Virginia, and in any area with large human populations downstream and down wind.
Photo, taken on August 7, 2009, courtesy of Alberto OG via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Support for Earth Wise comes from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY, with partial support from the Field Day Foundation.