Working Together to Keep Eastern Ontario and West Quebec Uranium Free

kNOw-URANIUM.org is concerned about the health implications of uranium exploration because it leads to mining and milling.  Mining and milling has many known health risks associated with heavy metals and radioactive elements.

Have you considered the human and environmental health effects of a uranium mine?  Health Canada has and the list below is a summary of its material.  This summary places an emphasis on regional health and environmental effects (not to diminish the health effects on workers or environmental effects typically contained to the immediate vicinity of the minesite). 

The regional emphasis is what matters most to Ottawa-Gatineau.  As a large population centre, it should matter a lot.... 

Canada exports more than 85% of its mined uranium and has enough reserves for about 285 years based on current consumption patterns.  There is no over-riding societal need to mine more uranium – especially in major watersheds and in the vicinity of large population centres. 

The risks from uranium mining and milling identified by Health Canada have probabilities of occurrence ranging anywhere from very rare to chronic. 

Logically speaking, given the situation, any risk is too great a risk to take.

Human and Environmental Health Brief

(Risks Identified by Health Canada for Regional Populations and Environments From Uranium Mining and Milling)

Reference:  Health Canada’s Canadian Handbook on Health Impact Assessment Chapter 5, Section 5.4 Uranium Mining

• respiratory and lung cancer
• other cancers
• uncertain, negative and toxic effects
• radiation hazards from radon gas, radium and thorium (radiation/radioactivity is seen by many as an insidious contaminant that causes adverse health effects that do not manifest themselves until far into the future and that cannot be seen, smelled, heard, or touched)
• non-radioactive contamination from dust and heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, and nickel
• tailings dike failure releasing tailings into surrounding waterways
• leaching of acids, heavy metals and radioactive ore into the surface and ground water (surface water and ground water provide a primary pathway by which radioactivity and toxic heavy metal contaminants, such as lead, arsenic, nickel, and cadmium, can be leached under certain conditions, particularly from tailings)
• food chain contamination from dangers of tailings and their long-term effects on human health, wildlife, vegetation, and water quality (fish, wildlife, vegetation, country foods, and drinking water are all at risk should spills or leakages occur)
• risk to drinking water supplies (the need to manage the water from waste management areas is important, particularly if there are drinking water sources in the vicinity)
• lack of availabile of financial resources to pay for decommissioning, radiation monitoring and follow-up after the mining and milling projects have been comple