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Machine learning (ML) methods are nowadays widely used to automate geophysical study. Some of ML algorithms are used to solve lithological classification problems during uranium mining process. One of the key aspects of using classical ML methods is causing data features and estimating their influence on the classification. This paper presents a quantitative assessment of the impact of expert opinions on the classification process. In other words, we have prepared the data, identified the experts and performed a series of experiments with and without taking into account the fact that the expert identifier is supplied to the input of the automatic classifier during training and testing. Feedforward artificial neural network (ANN) has been used as a classifier. The results of the experiments show that the “knowledge” of the ANN of which expert interpreted the data improves the quality of the automatic classification in terms of accuracy (by 5 %) and recall (by 20 %). However, due to the fact that the input parameters of the model may depend on each other, the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method has been used to further assess the impact of expert identifier. SHAP has allowed assessing the degree of parameter influence. It has revealed that the expert ID is at least two times more influential than any of the other input parameters of the neural network. This circumstance imposes significant restrictions on the application of ANNs to solve the task of lithological classification at the uranium deposits.

Today, Russia is implementing a national program for the remediation of legacy sites, resulting from the activities of the nuclear industry, the use of nuclear energy for military purposes, and due to radiation accidents and emergencies. Main priority is given to the health care provision issues of the workers and the population living in the vicinity of the targeted facilities. These tasks are under the regulatory responsibility of the FMBA of Russia. Since the beginning of the development of the nuclear industry in the country, the Institute of Biophysics, technical supporting organization of the FMBA of Russia (now the State Research Center – Burnasyan Federal Medical Biophysical Center Federal Medical Biological Agency (SRC-FMBC)), has been a leading institute in the scientific and methodological support of public radiation safety in the vicinity of radiation hazardous facilities serviced by the FMBA of Russia. In this regard, radiation-hygienic monitoring has always served as the main regulatory tool for more than 60 years. The paper describes the results of long-term monitoring (2005-2018) at the former coastal technical bases of the Russian Navy ( now – sites for temporary storage of SNF and RW in the Russian Northwest and Far East (nuclear legacy sites); sites of the uranium mining and milling facilities: Priargun Mountain Chemical Association and former Production Association “Almaz” (Lermontov, Stavropol Krai); and at uranium legacy sites of the Central Asia (Republic of Tajikistan and Kyrgyz Republic). The peculiarities of radiation situation at the sites are discussed, current challenges identified, and further regulatory improvements presented based on the gained experience.

This paper explores the neutralization techniques used by Strateco, a junior uranium mining company, throughout the development of the Matoush project in Quebec, Canada. Based on a content ...

Meteorological elements affecting radioactive contamination of the environment, each indicator has a different weight in the formation of the radioactive background. The strongest influence on the spread of radioactive contamination have winds. Influenced also different rainfall and the permeability of the atmospheric layer to solar radiation reaching us. The other meteorological components have a negligible impact on the spread of radioactive rays, particles and isotopes and therefore in further research we will ignore them and will not recognize their influence on climate radioactive background. In the analysis of meteorological elements that influence the spread of radioactive particles and radioactive isotopes in Bulgaria are mainly analyzed winds and air currents that form in the airspace over Bulgaria. These are the main weather elements that most influence the climate of the radioactive background. Another element that influences is precipitation in its various manifestations - horizontal and vertical type and depending on the physical condition of the water. The other meteorological elements because of their vile influence of the radiation situation will exclude them from the factors shaping the natural indicators of the state of the atmosphere, water and pochvata.Analizat is made on the basis of detailed statistics on the direction and strength of the wind and air currents over the territory of Bulgaria in the last 30 years. In addition to daily data for the period after 2009 have used aggregated figures on the direction and strength of winds, and near the concerned areas and over throughout our country and in adjacent border areas. This data is used for a period of 20 years, which is enough to capture the trends of change of atmospheric masses and neighboring aquatic and terrestrial surfaces. I must point out that monitoring of air masses over the past 25 years gives us only the main trends and directions, but as we all know, these processes are too dynamic and not subject to cyclic steady repetition and prediction. So at the same time made extensive research and data processing should not disable the constant monitoring of our environment and its parametri.Kato main potential sources of radioactive contamination are discussed nuclear power in Europe. In analyzing the results of the forecast movements of air masses and spreading radioactive particles consequently observed that apart from the NPP "Kozloduy" and adjacent to Bulgaria Kozloduy "Black Water" at different intervals of time radioactive contamination may occur and result of an accident in other NPPs in Europe.

Science and technology developed by the Manhattan Project during the second world war created an entirely new industry based on the use of uranium (U) as a source of power and for nuclear weapons. This resulted in near instantaneous development of a large market for U, and U.S. production went from nearly nonexistent in 1949 to 35 Mlbs/year of U concentrate, represented as U3O8, by 1959. This production continued for 25 years and then experienced a sharp decline due to declining markets as a result of decreased interest in nuclear power and less expensive sources of foreign U. Most U.S. production was done by open pit and underground mines from sandstone deposits located in the western states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. The only current U mining in the U.S. uses the in situ recovery process (ISR, also referred to as in situ leach or ISL) at a few mines in Wyoming and Nebraska. Large ISR mines located in south Texas are no longer active. The rapid development of the U industry in the west and its almost equally rapid demise in the U.S. mean that most of the impacts on human health and the environment are due to legacy operations that began before protective laws and regulations were passed in the 1970s and 1980s.

The article describes the current situation in the global uranium concentrate market, explains the reasons for the formation of an excess amount of finished goods and the subsequent decreasein prices. The authorsevaluated the prospects of using market mechanisms to improve the financial results of Russian uranium mining enterprises. The location of the main mining centers in comparison with the centers of consumption of finished goods, pricing for the products of uranium mining companies, the dynamics of price changes over the past 20 years, the influence of non-market factors on the supply of finished products are analyzed.This study led to the conclusion that the expectation of changes in the market situation is not viable in a long term. The authors outlined the direction to improve the profitability of mining enterprises by introducing technological changes aimed at reducing the cost of the final product.

Resumo: O artigo discute os processos de publicização dos problemas do nuclear em Caetité, Bahia. Desde o início da operação da mina de urânio na região, no ano de 1999, uma série de atores locais e não locais têm produzido evidências dos problemas decorrentes da extração do mineral para combustível das usinas nucleares brasileiras. Neste artigo argumenta-se que esse processo, ao mesmo tempo que constitui o nuclear e o urânio como uma situação problemática, também transforma os atores a ela concernidos, construindo os processos através dos quais questões do nuclear se tornam visíveis. Para isso, baseia-se em documentos, relatórios técnicos, materiais publicados em jornais e observação de campo de parte dos atores envolvidos nas questões do nuclear. Concluímos que as exigências dos atores passam a ser construídas a partir de evidências que seguem constrangimentos metodológicos próximos daqueles produzidos pela operação da mina, baseado em monitoramento e avaliação de dados técnicos. Mas, diferente da manutenção do nuclear como uma caixa preta, os atores publicizam o urânio e o nuclear como um problema público. Abstract: The article presents the processes of publicization nuclear problems in Caetité, Bahia. Since the beginning of the operation of the uranium mining in the region in 1999, local and non-local actors have produced evidence of problems arising from the extraction of the uranium from Brazilian nuclear power plants. We discuss that this process, while constituting nuclear and uranium as a problematic situation, also transforms the actors concerned, building processes through which nuclear issues become visible. We analyze documents, technical reports, newspapers and field observation on the part of the actors involved in nuclear issues. We conclude that the demands of the actors are dependent on evidences that came out through methodological constraints similar to those produced by the mine operating company, based on monitoring and evaluation of technical data. But unlike maintaining nuclear as a black box, local and non-local actors have exposed uranium and nuclear energy as a public problem. Resumen: El artículo discute los procesos de divulgación de los problemas del ámbito nuclear en Caetité, Bahía. Desde el inicio de la operación de la mina de uranio en la región, en el año de 1999, una serie de actores locales y no locales han generado evidencias de los problemas resultantes de la extracción del mineral usado como combustible en las plantas nucleares brasileñas. En este artículo se argumenta que este proceso, al mismo tiempo que constituye la propia cuestión nuclear -junto con el uranio- como una situación problemática, también transforma a los actores concernientes a ella, construyendo procesos a través de los cuales las cuestiones del ámbito nuclear se tornan visibles. Para esto, este artículo se basa en documentos, informes técnicos, material publicado en periódicos y observaciones de campo por parte de los actores involucrados en el ámbito nuclear. Concluimos que las exigencias de los actores son construidas a partir de las evidencias que siguen restricciones metodológicas cercanas a aquellas producidas por la operación de la mina, basados en el monitoreo y la evaluación de datos técnicos. No obstante, al contrario de mantener al tema nuclear en secreto, los actores divulgan al uranio y a la propia cuestión nuclear como un problema público.

There is a long history of uranium mining and milling in what is now the Czech Republic, with the main exploitation beginning in the second half of the 19th century. The greatest expansion was during the Cold War, which was then reduced after political changes in eastern Europe in the 1990s. Thereafter, almost all uranium work was stopped, the mines and mills were closed, and plans for decommissioning and remediation of sites and facilities were initiated. The paper describes the application of the regulatory framework for the decommissioning and remediation of the uranium waste sites and facilities in the Czech Republic, illustrated by examples of deep and surface mining, in-situ leaching sites, and ore processing facilities. It builds on information provided as a case study for the Nuclear Energy Agency’s Expert Group on Legacy Management. Some practical experience and lessons learned are presented. The sharing of the lessons and experience is noted as an important mechanism for avoiding the creation of future legacies.

The paper is concerned with thermal disturbances in continuous permafrost due to open pit mining and tailings impoundment in the cold regions of Northern Canada. Numerical simulations were conducted to investigate issues of thermal regime changes and permafrost degradation in both the short term and the long term in connection with the proposed Kiggavik project in Nunavut, Canada. The results of numerical simulations indicate that no open talik would form below the East Zone and Center Zone pits during the estimated mining and milling operation period of 14 years, although a thin thawed zone would develop surrounding the open pits. For the Main Zone pit where the excavation would break through permafrost, the open talik remains following an extended operation period of 25 years with a 5 to 30 m thawed zone along the pit side walls. In the long term, with a plausible climate change scenario of 5 &deg, C increase in the mean annual ground surface temperature during the next 100 years, the permafrost surrounding the in-pit tailings management facilities (TMFs) would reduce greatly in about 500 years. However, an approximately 40 m thick permafrost layer would remain on the top of the TMFs, which is impervious and would prevent any tailings pore water from migrating upward to reach the ground surface.

Time series analysis of Sentinel-1 SAR imagery made available by the Google Earth Engine (GEE) is described. Advantage is taken of a recent modification of a sequential complex Wishart-based algorithm which is applicable to the dual polarization intensity data archived on the GEE. Both the algorithm and a software interface to the GEE Python API for convenient data exploration and analysis are presented; the latter can be run from a platform independent Docker container and the source code is available on GitHub. Application examples are given involving the monitoring of anthropogenic activity (shipping, uranium mining, deforestation) and disaster assessment (flash floods). These highlight the advantages of the good temporal resolution resulting from cloud cover independence, short revisit times and near real time data availability.

Australia’s regulatory framework has evolved over the past decade from the assumption that protection of humans implies protection of the environment to the situation now where radiological impacts on non-human species (wildlife) are considered in their own right. In an Australian context, there was a recognised need for specific national guidance on protection of non-human species, for which the uranium mining industry provides the major backdrop. National guidance supported by publications of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (Radiation Protection Series) provides clear and consistent advice to operators and regulators on protection of non-human species, including advice on specific assessment methods and models, and how these might be applied in an Australian context. These approaches and the supporting assessment tools provide a mechanism for industry to assess and demonstrate compliance with the environmental protection objectives of relevant legislation, and to meet stakeholder expectations that radiological protection of the environment is taken into consideration in accordance with international best practice. Experiences from the past 5–10 years, and examples of where the approach to radiation protection of the environment has been well integrated or presented some challenges will be discussed. Future challenges in addressing protection of the environment in existing exposure situations will also be discussed.

Nuclear colonialism, or the exploitation of Indigenous lands and peoples to sustain the nuclear fuel cycle from uranium mining and refining to nuclear energy and weapons production and the ...

No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. An 84-year-old man with a twelve-year history of interstitial lung disease with indolent course was referred for a new oxygen requirement. He had previously been diagnosed with usual interstitial pneumonia associated with occupational exposures. Over the previous six-months he became breathless with minimal activity. During this interval he had lost nearly 40 pounds. He had worked in uranium mining and had a mere four-pack-year smoking history. In his free time, he was an artisan and engaged in woodworking, metal craft and stonework. He was hypoxic with exertion and notably cachectic. His clinic exam was significant for grade 1 clubbing and soft inspiratory crackles that were audible at the bilateral bases. Pulmonary function testing demonstrated a restrictive ventilatory defect with severe reduction in diffusion capacity. A chest radiograph was followed by high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) with representative images shown in Figures 1 and 2. A diagnosis of diffuse pulmonary ossification …

The paper reviews the efficience of radiation protection in uranium mining industry. The officially provided data on individual doses for underground and surface mining professionals is analysed and cancer morbity risk is assessed. The researchers defined the individual components of the total effective dose and separately assessed their contributions. The total of 114 cancer cases have been registered during the past 15 years. Accumulated equivalent doses for lungs are estimated from 20 to 430 mSv. The total working time in 56% of individual cancer cases diagnosed made over 20 years. The actual lung cancer mortality rate for miners is established 3 cases per 1000 individuals, which permits to question the authenticity of the dosimetric data and the efficiency of radiological protection applied.

This review examines the history of uranium mining in sub-Saharan Africa to contextualize recent extraction developments on the continent. From the secretive days of uranium mining in the first half of the twentieth century to today's ambitions of African nations to domestically mine uranium and generate nuclear power, Africa remains largely invisible from the global nuclear record in spite of its historical significance. The Cold War dynamics that bound the nuclear world are increasingly untenable as African states turn to nuclear power to meet growing energy deficits. This article reveals how African states challenge narratives serving to obscure the African origins of uranium. Connecting the history of uranium mining with non-proliferation agreements and aspirations for nuclear power, this review examines the current place of Africa in the nuclear world, and looks to the future.

Uranium ore has been mine for decades before it was abandoned in Mika village of Yorro LGA of Taraba state. Uranium mining poses high risk of radiation exposure to members of the public and local community. Despite the high risk associated with uranium ore deposit and mining in the area, the local community have continued to live in the surroundings of the abandoned mine sites and engaging in their day to day socio-economic activities. No attempt has been made to investigate the characteristics and current condition of the abandoned uranium mine site in the area and its potential impacts on the socio-economic life of the people. This study examined the potential environmental impact that could arise from the abandoned uranium mine site and associated past activities. Data was generated through desk review of existing data sources, including literatures, field observation and measurements of abandoned uranium mine pits and related features. Measuring tape and Garmin 12 X GPS (Global Positioning System) was used in the measurements. Interview of key informants was also carried out. Findings from the study show that the uranium ore is found on hill top (425metre above sea level). The mine wastes and overburden were deposited around the mine pits. Most of the overburden materials have been washed away. Findings from the study revealed that scooping of uranium ore samples have been ongoing in Mika area before independence in 1960. The uranium mineral samples collected from the site were taking to France and subsequently to Iran. Despite the risk posed by the abandoned uranium mine pit, the local communities insist that they did not observe any strange sickness or effects associated with the mining activities. Many of them depend on the water collected in the abandoned uranium mine pit for domestic consumption. Based on the findings, the study recommends periodic monitoring of water and agricultural crop to ascertain the possible effects of radioactivity associated with the uranium ore deposits in the area and enlightenment of the local communities on the potential impact of the abandoned uranium mines on their land, soil, air and water in the area.

It is well established that high radon exposures increase the risk of lung cancer mortality. The effects of low occupational exposures and the factors that confound and modify this risk are not clear and are needed to inform current radiation protection of miners. The risk of lung cancer mortality at low radon exposures (

Following its discovery, more than 200 years ago, uranium found useful applications in a number of various areas especially those related to industry, research and also medicine. The uranium history has been closely associated with the discovery of radioactivity which opened the door to the separation and later to the production of many useful radionuclides. The importance of uranium was recognized particularly owing to its ability to undergo fission process leading to the release of much more energy than it is possible to acquire from chemical reactions. Namely, the fission has been widely utilized in nuclear reactors to generate electricity in nuclear power plants. Such reactors are also used to produce a great number of radionuclides and for fundamental and applied research. Unfortunately, the fission has also been used for military purpose that resulted later in the construction of weapons of mass destruction. The extensive demand for uranium led to the expansion of uranium mining, milling and processing which led to some problems including exposure of workers and the radioactive contamination of the environment. The health effects associated with uranium and its compounds were fully recognized only during the last 70 years. This resulted in worldwide adoption of the relevant strict measures for adequate protection of people and the environment in line with the latest international safety requirements. The data concerning these health effects were acquired from numerous epidemiological studies based on which relevant safety procedures have been developed and implemented. The chapter presents a short overview of the uranium’s early history, which began in Jachymov, together with uranium mining, uses and the assessment of its biological effects based on epidemiological studies.

Radiological assessment was carried out at the mining tunnels (El Missikat and EL Aradiya tunnels) in Egypt due to exposure to radon (222Rn), thoron (220Rn) and gamma radiation. 222Rn/220Rn measurements were carried out with two techniques; instantaneous (active) and discriminative (passive) radon and thoron solid-state nuclear track detectors were used for longer representative measurements. The detectors were exposed for a long time inside the tunnels. The results showed that radon and thoron in general, are very high due to non-ventilation drafts inside the tunnels and gamma radiation was low. The total annual effective doses exceeded the permissible limit 20 mSv year−1. According to IAEA recommendations, the two tunnels are regulated and controlled areas. A radiation hazard could be associated with exceptional situations, such as elevated exposures to ionizing radiation at tunnels, so work within these tunnels must be prevented until the application of IAEA regulation for radiation protection standards. The exposure for radon and thoron gases for a long time can damage the body cells and cause cancer.

The primary objective of the Supervising Scientist is to protect the environment of the Alligator Rivers Region in the Northern Territory from the potential impacts of uranium mining activities, including uranium extraction and processing operations at the Ranger uranium mine (Ranger). The Supervising Scientist role was established in 1978 under the Environment Protection (Alligator Rivers Region) Act 1978. Operations at Ranger commenced in 1980, mining ceased in 2012, and stockpiled ore will continue to be processed until 2021. All rehabilitation works must be completed by 2026. Environmental protection is assured through the Supervising Scientist’s regulatory oversight program, which includes the assessment of mining and rehabilitation plans, reports and proposals, and a program of mine site inspections and environmental audits. The Supervising Scientist uses a risk-based approach to conduct impact assessment and site-specific research and monitoring to inform regulatory decision-making. This regulatory oversight role has been tailored to the nature and transitional status of Ranger from an operational to rehabilitating site. This case study provides an overview of the Supervising Scientist’s role in the regulatory oversight of Ranger. It looks at recent initiatives and refinements in oversight activities designed to ensure the regulatory system continues to assure the protection of the Alligator Rivers Region.

The mining industry has a long and chequered reputation when it comes to remediation, closure and post-mining land use. There are, sadly, too many poor examples around the world of abandoned mines and remediation projects that have failed to live up to expectations. Modern society has great expectations and high standards that they expect to see enforced when new mining projects are being assessed for development. It is therefore important for the global mining industry to be able to demonstrate that there are examples of useful post-closure uses for former mining sites. In the case of uranium mining, which carries the additional ‘stigma’ of radioactivity it is even more important to show that mining, even uranium mining, need not be a one-time user of land. This paper describes a selection of former uranium mining sites from around the world where remediation has been completed, or is ongoing, and post-mining land use has been established or is nearing completion. The examples are drawn from Europe, the United States of America and Australia.

The use of nuclear and other radioactive materials presents both benefits and risks to human health and development. Benefits, many of which would not be possible without the use of radioactive materials, include, inter alia, medical diagnosis and therapy, industrial applications, crop development and pest control, fundamental research, and low-carbon electricity. Risks include, inter alia, the potential for increased cancer incidence, nuclear reactor accidents and nuclear war. These benefits and risks have long been discussed. However, as technology evolves and societal values and needs change, such as the increased importance of carbon-free electricity, the balance between risks and benefits with regards to using nuclear and other radioactive materials can also change. To inform the debate regarding the extent to which nuclear and other radioactive materials should be used in light of their risks and benefits, this chapter presents a very brief, but up-to-date, overview of applications of nuclear and other radioactive materials for human health and development. The chapter also describes the extent to which these applications are reliant on uranium mining and enrichment and the availability of modern alternatives. It concludes by placing the benefits that arise from these materials in the context of recent research regarding the health risks of exposure to radiation.

The energy problem is one of the biggest challenges facing the world in the 21st century. The nuclear energy is the fastest-growing contributor to the world energy and uranium mining is the primary step in its chain. One of the fundamental problems in the uranium extraction industry is the deep borehole filter restoration problem. This decision problem is very complex due to multiple objectives and various uncertainties. Besides the improvement of uranium production, the decision makers often need to meet internationally recognized standards (ISO 14001) of labor protection, safety measures, and preservation of environment. The problem can be simplified by constructing the multiattribute utility function, but the choice of the appropriate functional form requires the practical evaluation of different methods. In present work, we evaluate the alternatives of this complex problem by two distinct approaches for analyzing decision problems. The decision maker and the assessor is a Deputy Director General of a transnational corporation.

The abandoned mining sites are a major current area of concern as they generate consequences from environmental, economic and social perspectives within traditional industrial areas Former uranium mining at Ciudanovita, located in the South-Western part of Romania, represents an example of such a situation The aim of the present study is to analyze the social effects (professional morbidity, rate of mortality) and economic ones (such as: unemployment, economic decline due to the restructuring of mining, loss of productive land) generated by the exploitation of uranium The high rehabilitation costs and lack of involvement of the local authorities determine a halt in solving the issues of environmental degradation and socio-economic consequences Closure of uranium exploitation from Ciudanovita involved conducting certain ecological actions, but there were no procedures regarding the security and long term health of population or to decrease the adverse economic impact The objectives of this study aim to identify priority actions in order to improve the population's health condition and to reduce the negative economic effects generated by closing the uranium mine Ciudanovita has a significant agricultural potential, but at present the agriculture is limited by the degraded lands.

This paper discusses modification of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Technology Readiness Assessment Guide (DOE G 413.3-4A) for use in the Office of Nuclear Energy's Nuclear Technology Research and Development (NTRD) program. DOE 413.3-4A describes an approach for identifying and managing technology risks in large construction projects to ensure technology development is part of the project baseline and technology maturity is sufficiently advanced before including a technology in the facility design. The process includes the identification of Critical Technology Elements (CTEs), followed by in-depth evaluation of Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) and development of Technology Maturation Plans (TMPs) for those CTEs. This approach was augmented for the NTRD program to include System Readiness Levels (SRLs) as a complement to TRLs, and developing perspective tracks to better organize the TRL/SRL evaluations that determine the level of knowledge/maturation of the CTEs (e.g. Experiments & Modeling, Safety & Hazards, Manufacturing, etc.). The augmented approach was tested on two areas of research in 2017 (metallic nuclear fuels and fuel dissolution for recycling) and is now being applied to a complete advanced nuclear fuel cycle (from uranium mining to waste disposal).

The indoor radon concentrations and lung cancer incidence in Eleshnitza village and Blagoevgrad district of Bulgaria were examined in the study reported here. The Eleshnitza was the second largest uranium mining and milling region of the country. The geometric mean of indoor radon concentration in Eleshnitza (465 Bq/m3) was higher than the geometric mean of Blagoevgrad district (78 Bq/m3). Retrospective analyses on lung cancer incidence, covering the period 1995-2012 have been shown the same trend. The results were suggestive of an existing relationship between the two variables. Possible effects attributable to age and gender on lung cancer incidence were examined and found to be significant.

In March 2015, the South Australian state government established a royal commission to investigate the financial, social, technical, diplomatic, and nonproliferation benefits and risks of expanding its nuclear industry, including activities related to uranium mining; enriching, reprocessing, and fabricating nuclear fuels for both domestic use and export; producing nuclear power; and storing radiological waste, including foreign spent reactor fuel. Given its enormous uranium reserves and current mining activities, some Australians have argued that Australia could benefit financially by expanding the mining sector and by adding value to its uranium exports by enriching the material and fabricating it into reactor fuel assemblies. Others have maintained that Australia can realize significant economic benefits by recycling and storing foreign spent fuel and producing carbon-free nuclear power. In the end, the commission recommended that Australia consider opening up a high-level waste repository to ta...

China will triple the number of nuclear power plants it has in operation by 2020 according to official plans, and the country’s nuclear fleet will increase 20-fold by 2050 under some not-yet-approved proposals. But how and where will China get the uranium to fuel them all? Will China need to resort to breeder reactors and reprocessing, with all the proliferation problems they incur? Or is there another way? The author suggests that between China’s domestic uranium mining, uranium purchased on the international market, and uranium mined by Chinese-owned companies overseas, China could meet even the most ambitious target, thus avoiding the troublesome and dangerous path of reprocessing.

The previous chapter illustrated the ways in which the collapse of the post-war boom was ultimately behind the single-mindedness with which Labor focused on economic management after the dismissal. The impact on Labor’s policies is further examined in this chapter through a case study of the party’s attitude to uranium mining.

There are ~7000 mining waste storage facilities including waste rock dumps in the Czech Republic. One of the radiation protection present subjects is a health impact estimation of the huge mass of material in waste rock dumps left after uranium mining. In this document are presented selected results of waste rock dump long-term monitoring in the area of shaft No. 15 (Pribram, CR) and its estimated health impact to the representative person in a village Brod. The external irradiation was estimated based on in situ gamma spectrometry measurement results and on a Monte Carlo model and it turned out to be negligible (tens μSv), while the internal irradiation (RAMARN, ALGADE Environmental and RAMONIS detection systems) is more significant. The estimated total annual effective dose for representative person is mainly caused by indoor radon inhalation. The maximum outdoor radon concentration in summer season was measured during night hours between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. and could reach thousands Bq/m3. The average indoor concentration measured in randomly selected houses was 450 Bq/m3. The radon exhalation rate was 35-40 mBq m-2 s-1.

In the early 16th century, Georgius Agricola reported on Bergsucht (Ger=“miner’s consumption”) in mineworkers in the Erzgebirge, Saxony, currently part of Germany. Some 350 years later, other authors reported on large numbers of lung cancers among the mineworkers in the same mine district and confirmed that these were most likely the same Bergsucht noted by Agricola. In Agricola’s time, the word Bergsucht was possibly also used for silicosis and tuberculosis. Agricola reported on the toxic effects of various chemicals and on the means to prevent mine accidents. Mining for bismuth took place in Saxony beginning in the late 19th century and continued through World War II. Bismuth mining was replaced by large-scale uranium mining from 1946 through 1989, employing some half a million workers. To date, more than 15,000 lung cancer cases have been reported among these miners, perhaps the world’s largest local epidemic of work-related cancers. Had the mine operators been alert to the observations of Agricola and subsequent findings by others, this epidemic could likely have been prevented.

This paper critically considers the history of nuclear energy in Australia, placing particular emphasis on the strong debate about uranium mining and exporting which occurred between the late 1960s and early 1980s. Though this topic has been already analyzed by different historical studies and through numerous methodological approaches, some issues of the Australian as well as international ‘atomic debate’ which involved civil uses of nuclear power in the second half of the 20th century remain under-investigated. This article, for instance, focuses on the little-known and seldom popularized history of Synroc which, in the late 1970s, was presented as the ‘geological perspective’ to deal with radioactive waste disposal. The matters under discussion here are particularly important because of their links with some key issues still prevalent in the international nuclear debate, such as nuclear safety, atomic weapons proliferation and the safe disposal of nuclear wastes.

Bacterial isolates from a uranium mining waste pile are adapted in a very special kind of way to their heavy metal contaminated environment. Genome analyses identified many genes that might support the incidence of these strains in their special habitat. Using the next-generation sequencing technology multiple surface (S-) layer genes and different kinds of metal transporter genes were identified. These data give the genetic affirmation that these strains are adapted substantial to their environment.

Nuclear power was designed to produce electric power. Each part of the chain from uranium mining to handling of the waste is linked to serious contamination risks, however. Uranium mining is generally linked to local to regional contamination. The fuel production also produces depleted uranium at a ratio of 1:7. The reactors are operating under danger of accidents. Numerous minor accidents and endless temporary shut-downs are occasionally mixed with disastrous accidents. The Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima (2011) accidents are notorious. The radioactive contamination from those accidents is still incomprehensible and will keep serious destructions of the environment for centuries to come. The handling of the high-level nuclear waste remains unsolved. Methods proposed in Sweden, Finland and France seem likely to lead to disastrous radioactive contaminations in the future. The only way out of this dilemma seems to be a disposal where the waste, though effectively sealed-off in the bedrock, remains accessible and controllable. At present, the “cost & benefit” balance seems strongly tilted over to the “far too costly side”, however.

Uranium is available in Gogi, Gulbarga District (now Yadgir), Karnataka. The area spreads over 30 km from the central point of the potential Uranium site to be mined for sustainable energy producti...

Environmental radioactivity monitoring programmes are now implemented in many countries around legacy uranium mining and milling sites and current uranium mining sites and include, for example, the analyses of soil, plant, meat and water samples. Often, there are legal requirements on periodic reporting of this monitoring. The results are used to assess compliance with the standards for radiation exposure of the public. To provide quality assurance, there is a need for reference materials (RMs) for use in monitoring programmes related to assessment of environmental contamination, uranium waste management and radiation protection in uranium areas. Reliable uranium supply to satisfy the increasing demand for low-carbon electricity production needs to meet the increasing environmental and health safety standards and public concerns for responsible information.

The Wismut cohort includes 58,982 male workers, first employed between 1946 and 1989 at the Wismut uranium mining company in Germany. The cohort is characterised by a long average duration of follow-up (37 years), large number of deaths (25,438) and nearly complete follow-up (97%) by end of 2008. Annual exposures to radon progeny, external gamma radiation and long-lived radionuclides were retrospectively assessed using a comprehensive job-exposure matrix. Data on occupational exposure to silica, fine and arsenic dust are available for all cohort members, and for part of them on smoking. The range of cumulative radon exposure in Working Level Months (WLM) is broad (Median = 33, Mean = 280, Max = 3,224 WLM). Mortality from lung cancer was statistically significantly associated with radon (n = 3,500; ERR/100 WLM = 0.20), with risk effect modification by time since exposure, age at exposure and exposure rate. The group of deaths from cancers other than lung cancer showed a lower, but also significantly elevated risk (n = 3,887; ERR/100 WLM = 0.014). Notable was the excess for the group of cancers of the extra-thoracic airways (n = 234; ERR/100 WLM = 0.04, p = 0.12). In the sub-cohort of miners hired after 1959, which is characterised by very low exposure rates, a statistically significant excess of lung cancer in relation to radon was found (n = 334; ERR/100 WLM = 1.3). A similar pattern of risk was observed in the sub-cohort of low exposed millers, who never worked underground (n = 159; ERR/100 WLM = 3.4). Recently, the follow-up has been extended by five years to end of 2013, including now 29,751 deaths. In addition, a linkage of the cohort with the East Germany cancer registry (1960–2013) is prepared. Future focus of the Wismut study and within the international pooling activities is to investigate in more detail the radon-related risk for cancer sites other than lung cancer and the risk of lung cancer at low radon exposures or exposure rates.

© 2016 Elsevier B.V. We investigate effects of government policy uncertainty on stock prices, reflecting tension between ‘private interest’ (economic benefits) and ‘public interest’ arguments over uranium mining. Using a sample of Australian-listed uranium firms from January 2005 through June 2008, we document a positive contemporaneous correlation between stock returns and volatility and two measures of government policy uncertainty, proxied by the spread in voters’ opinion polls between the two major political parties and a news-based sentiment index. Event-study results show significant stock price reactions to key uranium-related policy events, with cross-sectional variation in event returns predicted by models incorporating firm- and project-level characteristics. Our research design and findings may inform future research on the capital market effects of government policy uncertainty in other regulated industries.

Nuclear hazards, linked to both U.S. weapons programs and civilian nuclear power, pose substantial environment justice issues. Nuclear power plant (NPP) reactors produce low-level ionizing radiation, high level nuclear waste, and are subject to catastrophic contamination events. Justice concerns include plant locations and the large potentially exposed populations, as well as issues in siting, nuclear safety, and barriers to public participation. Other justice issues relate to extensive contamination in the U.S. nuclear weapons complex, and the mining and processing industries that have supported it. To approach the topic, first we discuss distributional justice issues of NPP sites in the U.S. and related procedural injustices in siting, operation, and emergency preparedness. Then we discuss justice concerns involving the U.S. nuclear weapons complex and the ways that uranium mining, processing, and weapons development have affected those living downwind, including a substantial American Indian population. Next we examine the problem of high-level nuclear waste and the risk implications of the lack of secure long-term storage. The handling and deposition of toxic nuclear wastes pose new transgenerational justice issues of unprecedented duration, in comparison to any other industry. Finally, we discuss the persistent risks of nuclear technologies and renewable energy alternatives.

Consideration of health, safety, environment, and community (HSEC) is now an essential and integrated component of the overall operation of a uranium mine. Historically, HSEC was often seen as a lower priority to uranium production but modern mines have recognized that without appropriate management of HSEC, the operability of a mine will be diminished. Management of HSEC at uranium operations is similar to conventional mining but there is likely to be an increased emphasis due to external oversight. In most cases radiological aspects, although important as a perceived risk, are less significant in terms of true risk than conventional hazards. Modern uranium operations, with appropriate HSEC management, have been demonstrated to provide an appropriate level of protection for the health and safety of workers, the public and the surrounding environment while enhancing local and regional communities.