Uranium and the Native American reservations

[Humanistheart]

I didn't know if we had an enviornment section, so I'm posting this question here. I only recently became aware of the uranium mining and the storing of spent nuclear fuel on native american land. Does anyone know how long this pollution will last? I'm assuming there is a half life or some limit to how long these iteams will be an issue. Houndreds of years? Thousands?

 

[dust1n]

I looked and looked and looked and could really only find this.. and I'm not even sure if this is describing what you are asking:

"
Transuranics:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] In previous texts we talked about how the 238U in a fuel rod is not fissile and is a neutron absorber. We made the point that because it absorbs neutrons, it stops the chain reaction in a nuclear power plant from running away (and producing a nuclear bomb effect). This is a good thing. However, think about what it means when we say "238U is a neutron absorber". The following reaction expresses that statement:

[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica]1 neutron + 238U

239U
[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]When 238U "captures" a neutron, it is added to the original uranium nucleus, producing the radioactive isotope of uranium, 239U. This isotope has a half-life of 23.45 months. It decays, through ß-, into 239Np. 239Np is also radioactive and decays into 239Pu. 239Np has a short half-life of about 2 days. This sequence of decays can be expressed like this:
[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]1 neutron + 238U

239U
239U

(ß- decay) 239Np
239Np

(ß- decay) 239Pu"[/FONT]

 

[Buttercup]

I didn't know if we had an enviornment section, so I'm posting this question here. I only recently became aware of the uranium mining and the storing of spent nuclear fuel on native american land. Does anyone know how long this pollution will last? I'm assuming there is a half life or some limit to how long these iteams will be an issue. Houndreds of years? Thousands?

Do you by chance have any links you could post regarding this issue? I'd be interested to read them. Thanks.

 

[Humanistheart]

Do you by chance have any links you could post regarding this issue? I'd be interested to read them. Thanks.

Here is one to start with:

Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Site Killed by Senate -- Politics Daily

And here's more:

http://www.wise-uranium.org/uip.html

http://www.nirs.org/miningandpollutioninuppermidwest.pdf

I've been reading articles collected into a packet. One explained that cheap low grade uarium was used in constructing roads on the reservation and mining sites. Many workers, most of them natives, have developed cancer and died since then. I don't even want to talk about the deformities children are being born with. Is it just me, or does that seem like a severe crime against humanity? Like hitler level disregaurd for human life.

http://www.culturalsurvival.org/pub...erly/brugge/uranium-mining-navajo-indian-land

http://blogs.wsj.com/environmentalc...a-mountains-scrapped-so-what-now/tab/article/

 

[dust1n]

Here is one to start with:

Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Site Killed by Senate -- Politics Daily

And here's more:

Uranium Mining and Indigenous People

I've been reading articles collected into a packet. One explained that cheap low grade uarium was used in contructing roads on the reservation and mining sites. Many workers, most of them natives, have developed cancer since then. Is it just me, or does that seem like a severe crime against humanity? Like hitler level disregaurd for human life.

Uranium Mining On Navajo Indian Land | Cultural Survival

From what I understand, to work in a nuclear power plant would guarantee cancer in the workers.

That being said, we have Hitler-ed American Indians, always!

 

[Humanistheart]

From what I understand, to work in a nuclear power plant would guarantee cancer in the workers.!

I'm sure that's true, but the people being affected today have never been in or even near a nuclear power plant, let alone voluntarily employed in one.

That being said, we have Hitler-ed American Indians, always!

Very true.

 

[Buttercup]

Thanks for the links! I hope to get to them tonight.

 

[dust1n]

I'm sure that's true, but the people being affected today have never been in or even near a nuclear power plant, let alone voluntarily employed in one.



Very true.

Well, yeah, of course. An MRI is going to give you cancer more-than-likely, along with all the other ridiculous **** we do in the world, like irradiating food and tobacco (where's all this cancer coming from?)

 

[Humanistheart]

Well, yeah, of course. An MRI is going to give you cancer more-than-likely, along with all the other ridiculous **** we do in the world, like irradiating food and tobacco (where's all this cancer coming from?)

I don't believe a single or occasional MRI is an extreame danger as far as cancer goes, but yes, we do have many products and processes that have increased our cancer rates as a country and as a species. Still, none of those compare to driving on a raod literally made of radioactive material. Between the POP's increasing presence in the ecosystem, the radiation contamination from bomb testing and uranium mining, and the already poverty stricken conditions of these reservations, we're looking at another silent genocide here. This doesn't seem much different than giving them infected blanquets and waiting for them to die.

 

[dust1n]

I don't believe a single or occasional MRI is an extreame danger as far as cancer goes, but yes, we do have many products and processes that have increased our cancer rates as a country and as a species. Still, none of those compare to driving on a raod literally made of radioactive material. Between the POP's increasing presence in the ecosystem, the radiation contamination from bomb testing and uranium mining, and the already poverty stricken conditions of these reservations, we're looking at another silent genocide here. This doesn't seem much different than giving them infected blanquets and waiting for them to die.

A single MRI might or might not, but I feel bad for the chum who gets five of them.

About the Indians, yes, we are ********. We let our government constantly use methods of economical distribution to contain them, polarize them, make them poor and addicted to alcohol, etc etc, just so that they can die and we can finally have whatever land or resources they had left.

 

[Humanistheart]

just so that they can die and we can finally have whatever land or resources they had left.

4% of US soil is owned collectively by indegeous nations. The large portions of old wood and natural resources like coal and uranium are making them targets for government and private buisness' to exploit. I wont live to see it, but one day I hope our nation can make discissions with out big buisness getting a say.

 

[dust1n]

4% of US soil is owned collectively by indegeous nations. The large portions of old wood and natural resources like coal and uranium are making them targets for government and private buisness' to exploit. I wont live to see it, but one day I hope our nation can make discission with out big buisness getting a say.

I could only certainly hope man, poor ********. Everytime they got a reservation, 10 years later they needed to be moved to even smaller land because the government didn't previously realize that their "reservation" was on top of coal, or tin. Sad thing is, no one really stands up for them man. That entire culture was self-sustaining, practically free of crime, poverty, class, or anything our culture has created, and we have destroyed it.

 

[Humanistheart]

I could only certainly hope man, poor ********. Everytime they got a reservation, 10 years later they needed to be moved to even smaller land because the government didn't previously realize that their "reservation" was on top of coal, or tin. Sad thing is, no one really stands up for them man. That entire culture was self-sustaining, practically free of crime, poverty, class, or anything our culture has created, and we have destroyed it.

So true.