Representative from SCARE says mining it isn't safe.

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

1 comment(s)

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. Health Canada says these are safety measures done to keep the radiation level in and around mines within acceptable limits. It admits radioactive leakage can contaminate areas and food supplies, but says this can be prevented by monitoring carefully and following guidelines.

Moore disagrees. He cited a study from the Uranium Medical Research Center that found nine residents of Port Hope, Ontario, who had unnatural levels of radiation in their urine. The study was conducted after Health Canada announced there was no contamination in the community.

Moore has met a woman from Port Hope.

"She can go down the street and tell you the people who have died from cancer. People who worked in the mines, people who lived near the mine, the wives. She knows people who are her age now that have died from cancer. She believes that's what's gonna happen here."

Sam McEwan is the director of Minerals and Petroleum Development for the New Brunswick government. He said uranium mining is safer than many people think.

"It's human nature. Anyone who hears uranium thinks about all the things that can go wrong...They associate uranium with the Cold War and the Second World War, Hiroshima and Nagasaki."

McEwan said uranium mining is new to the province and judgements shouldn't be made until more is known about possible problems.

"This thing would be scrutinized," McEwan says. "I know what a regular mine goes through and I can only imagine what a uranium mine would have to go through."

McEwan also says there are new methods for storing spent ore that will not harm people or the environment.

Coon is sceptical about the government's concern for safety.

"Their stance is the faster we can get uranium out of the ground and create a more viable mine the better. Why? Because they don't seem to be able to distinguish between that and things like potash.

"They're just looking at the taxes it would generate."

Moore feels the same way. The public wasn't consulted before companies were allowed to start exploratory uranium drilling. He wants to know why.

"What would be the purpose of them coming and spending millions and millions of dollars, if they don't know they can get it? The government is going to let them (mine)." His organization is asking city councils across the province to ban uranium mining. Those bans aren't legally binding, as provinces have the final say on whether or not mines can be opened.

The Conservation Council is trying to educate voters by speaking in communities around New Brunswick. Both Moore and Coon hope they can generate enough pressure to force provincial politicians to listen.

"We're here to get the politicians on notice. That come election time, anyone who supports uranium mining may not get elected or re-elected. That's the only power of the people we have," said Moore.

This process has worked in Nova Scotia, where the provincial government set up a moratorium on uranium mining after many municipalities enacted bans.

"It's not me that it will affect," says Moore. "But it's going to affect you guys. Your kids, your grandkids."