Pros And Cons Of Mining And Exporting Of Uranium

Mining and exporting of uranium has become a global issue in the world. The world- wide production of uranium in 2012 amounted to 58934 tonnes. Kazakhstan, Canada and Australia are the main host countries for the production of uranium covering 64% of world production. Kazakhstan is the largest producer of uranium (41%), followed by Canada (16%) and Australia (9%) of world supply from mines in 2013. It is often said that mining and exporting of uranium effects on human beings, even though uranium itself is not radioactive. However, the radioactive elements such as radium and radon in its ore, give rise to health and safety issues. Although it is claimed that mining of uranium supposed to have positive benefits on economy it is strongly

One of these wastes is radon gas which when inhaled cause damage to our lungs, bone as it decays. Thus the risk of causing cancer increases by six times to the miners and community close to the mining areas. According to Naomi, Foulkes, Hillborne, Hudson, Anthony (1999), the decayed product of uranium showed the cancer causing agent and if the parents get infected by leukemia there can be the chances of transmitting the disease to their offsprings. Uranium mining is water based industry, the nuclear fuel is stored in a small pond for about a year and due to rainfall, flooding, or leakage it can get contaminated with the water resources leading to the pollution and when such impure water is used by the people then they may get serious disease or may lead to death. Green Peace International (2010) reported that large consumption of water resources effects leads to desertification, plants and animals die and the traditional livelihood of the local population is destroyed. When transporting the uranium, whether by truck, rail or sea; over a long distance is very risky business and if it gets explode or contaminated with other elements, directly cause health

In 2004, Kakadu uranium miner energy resources of Australia claimed faulty breaching three counts of NT Mining. Management Act failed to make precautions on a series of severe radiation hazards resulting to the exposure of contaminated water and ‘hot’ mine vehicles by the workers. According to Professor Lowe (2005), mining, extracting and exporting uranium emits huge amounts of greenhouse effects in Australia causing different types of allergies, skin damages and even lungs disease. The local organization representing the mine workers (2008) spoke that there was suspicious death of the workers due to radioactive dust and contaminated underground water. There are hundreds of mines which have not been cleaned after extracting uranium and represents environmental and health risk in many communities. A dispute arose between the mining industry, the mirror people, ecologists and politicians on post colonisation issues in relation to the impacts on health of human and severe effects on water resources (Banerjee,