Environmental Health Risk From Past
Uranium Mining And Milling Activities
Author(s)
F. P. Carvalho
Abstract
In the last few years several European countries undertook closure and
environmental remediation of old uranium mining sites. This is the case for
Portugal. Due to concerns about public health, environmental radioactivity was
recently investigated in a number of counties in the Centre-North of Portugal
where the extraction and chemical treatment of uranium ore was carried out, as
well as in reference areas. The results of this environmental research and of an
assessment of the health condition of local populations allowed the conclusion
that some exposure to radioactivity from uranium mining waste occurs in these
areas. The reduction of such exposure should be achieved through environmental
remediation measures. However, as radio nuclides in uranium mining and
milling waste are very long lived and their potential to cause health hazards will
last for centuries, remediation measures should be effective for generations. To
achieve this goal adequate radioactivity monitoring around sites is needed and
institutional custody of waste repository sites should be ensured.
Keywords: uranium mining, radioactive waste, ionizing radiation effects, public
health, environmental remediation.
1 Introduction
Mining of radioactive ores in European countries took place during most of the
last century. With the opening of very large uranium mines in Australia, Canada
and Africa, uranium mining activities were displaced to these regions and former
radium-uranium European producing countries closed their mines and
radioactive ore treatment plants by the turn of the century. Since then, these
countries started environmental remediation of former uranium mining and
Keywords
uranium mining, radioactive waste, ionizing radiation effects, public
health, environmental remediation.
Related Book
Other papers in this volume
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