For the first time, ProPublica has cataloged cleanup efforts at the 50-plus sites where uranium was processed to fuel the nation’s nuclear arsenal. Even after regulators say cleanup is complete, polluted water and sickness are often left behind.
by Mark Olalde, Mollie Simon and Alex Mierjeski, ProPublica
In America’s rush to build the nuclear arsenal that won the Cold War, safety was sacrificed for speed.
Uranium mills that helped fuel the weapons also dumped radioactive and toxic waste into rivers like the Cheyenne in South Dakota and the Animas in Colorado. Thousands of sheep turned blue and died after foraging on land tainted by processing sites in North Dakota. And cancer wards across the West swelled with sick uranium workers.
The U.S. government bankrolled the industry, and mining companies rushed to profit, building more than 50 mills and processing sites to refine uranium ore.
But the government didn’t have a plan for the toxic byproducts of this nuclear assembly line. Some of the more than 250 million tons of toxic and radioactive detritus, known as tailings, scattered into nearby communities, some spilled into streams and some leaked into aquifers.
Recent Posts
Israel Escalates its Aggression on Lebanon After Ceasefire Extension
Take Action Now Hezbollah reaffirmed that it does not trust the ceasefire negotiations, and vowed to continue resistance against the IOF.By Aseel…
From Student Encampments to the DNC Divide, A Zero Hour Conversation With Nadia Ahmad
Take Action Now Attorney/activist Nadia Ahmad helps us trace the arc.By RJ Eskow and Nadia Ahmad, The Zero Hour Report Two years ago, the nation…
The World is Getting Too Hot to Feed Itself
Take Action Now A new U.N. report maps how extreme heat is tearing through every layer of the global food system — and mostly overlooks the people at…
Cuba’s Fate Should Not Be in U.S. Hands
Take Action Now U.S. officials are relying on Trump’s executive order of January 29 which, without evidence, accused Cuba of being an “extraordinary…