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The Health Risks of Uranium Exploration and Mining in Nova Scotia
URANIUM IS UNLIKE other minerals mined in Nova Scotia. It is a heavy metal that is both chemically toxic and radioactive, decaying over time to produce other materials that are even more toxic and radioactive. This includes the carcinogenic, but colourless, tasteless and odourless gas radon, emitted by uranium deposits. Radon gas can travel hundreds of kilometres in the air, emitting radioactive particles as it moves.
Radon can also collect in homes, and in Nova Scotia, it is responsible for more than 100 deaths a year.1 According to Health Canada, radon is the number one cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.2 For this reason, the Nova Scotia government has developed a radon-risk map,3 and radon detectors can be borrowed from provincial libraries. Canada’s standards for acceptable radon gas limits in homes is (200 Bq/ m3),4 which is twice the limit recommended by the World Health Organization 100 Bq/m3,5 and even more lax than that of the United States (150 Bq/m3).6
The radon decay chain continues to produce new radioactive products that can enter water, crops, trees, soil, animals, and humans.7 People are exposed by drinking contaminated water, inhaling airborne uranium particles, and ingesting contaminated food, and increased levels of radiation in the environment. Even exploration of uranium deposits can release harmful radon gas into the environment and mobilize uranium that is highly soluble, contaminating well water. Read the rest of this pdf report from EcologyAction.