29.03.2010
Greenpeace accuses Areva of neglecting health of Nigeriens
French nuclear group Areva is not paying enough attention to the health of workers and inhabitants around its two uranium mines in Niger, Greenpeace said on Monday (Mar. 29). The environmental lobby group called in a report for an independent radiation study to be conducted around the two mine sites at Arlit and Akokan in the country's northwest and for the area to be decontaminated. "The people of Arlit and Akokan continue to be surrounded by poisoned air, contaminated soil and polluted water," Greenpeace said. "With each day that passes, Nigeriens are exposed to radiation, illness and poverty -- while Areva makes billions from their natural resources," it said.
(AFP)
13.03.2010
Cleanup of old uranium mine and mill sites in Kakadu National Park almost finished
The equivalent of six Olympic-size swimming pools of radioactive soil and mining equipment has been buried in Kakadu National Park. Parks Australia said it was not nuclear waste and the level of radioactivity was low. The soil and equipment had been stored in shipping containers. It has now been put in containers with a structural life of 1000 years and buried four metres down. The project to clean up abandoned uranium diggings and milling sites in the South Alligator River valley cost A$7.33 million and is almost finished. Parks Australia director Peter Cochrane said revegetation would be completed during the Dry.
(Northern Territory News)
30.12.2009
Kazakhstan world's largest uranium producer in 2009
Kazakhstan will produce 13,900 tonnes of uranium this year and 18,000 tonnes in 2010, state nuclear company Kazatomprom said on Wednesday (Dec. 30), raising earlier forecasts. The Central Asian state became the world's largest uranium producer this year and has been responsible for the bulk of global output growth in the last few years. Kazakhstan produced 8,521 tonnes of uranium last year, up from 6,637 tonnes in 2007.
(Reuters)
09.12.2009
New NGO to monitor radiation at former uranium mine sites in the Limousin area
A new NGO "Sous nos pieds" (Under our feet) plans to perform radiation surveys at the 70 former uranium mine sites, 2 uranium mill sites, and 6 waste disposal sites in the Limousin area. The group believes the official monitoring has been inadequate and incomplete.
(France 3)
11.12.2009
Québec to study effects of uranium exploration and mining on public health
Québec will create a special committee to study the potential effects of uranium exploration and mining on public health, says the province's chief public health officer Dr. Alain Poirier. Poirier made the announcement Friday (Dec. 11), following a meeting with a group of 23 doctors in the province's North Shore region. The doctors at the Sept-Îles Hospital have threatened to resign unless the province puts in place a ban on uranium mining and exploration, which they said is a threat to public health.
(CBC)
30.11.2009
Nunavut group launches uranium mining petition
A new citizen's group in Nunavut wants the territorial government to hold a public inquiry into uranium exploration and mining. A petition calling for the inquiry was introduced Saturday (Nov. 28) at the public launch of Nunavummiut Makitagunarningit, a new non-governmental organization that aims to provide a public forum on uranium development in the territory. About 40 people, including civil servants and prominent local citizens, attended the group's launch meeting in Iqaluit on Saturday. Nunavummiut Makitagunarningit - which means "Nunavummiut can rise up" in Inuktitut - was formed "just so that the residents of Nunavut feel there's more of a democratic process on such an important issue," said Sandra Inutiq, one of the group's six founding members. Inutiq said Nunavummiut Makitagunarningit will circulate the petition to all of Nunavut's 25 communities before it is presented to territorial politicans.
(CBC)
24.04.2009
IAEA offers assistance with development of uranium deposits to Mongolia
Mongolia and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will work together toward implementing a joint program for the peaceful and effective use of the nation's uranium. IAEA Director General ElBaradei said the IAEA will support Mongolia's efforts to use its proven reserves with the help of international assistance.
(UB Post)
