Uranium_Mining_in_Pittsylvania_County

Uranium Mining has been a part of American history for a long time. As with anything, people are extremely concerned with the harm that could be caused by the extraction of the uranium in our area. One of the main concerns is: What effect will the operation have on groundwater in the vicinity and water downstream from the site' Will there be baseline studies' Virginia Uranium Inc., the company who is interested in the Pittsylvania county site, answer this question with: “Many precautions are taken to ensure that no contaminates are released from the site—whether by air or water. These precautions ensure that water downstream of the site is not degraded. Various measures protect water quality at uranium-mining operations world wide. First, it is standard practice to construct waste-water treatment plants on site. All water that enters the site through precipitation or dewatering of the mine will be tested and treated to as needed to EPA standards before being recycled or released to the environment. Routine monitoring of water quality is required by state and federal regulations. Before mine and mill development, environmental monitoring stations are required to measure baseline levels of constituents of concern (including contaminants) in the air, groundwater, surface water, and soil. During mill operations, sampling and measurements are conducted at most of these stations as well as other locations in the immediate vicinity of the mine and mill and at downstream locations as required by the license conditions of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (Regulatory Guide 4.14).” Another concern is: What adverse health effects have been attributed to uranium mining and milling, and is radiation at the mill site a concern' “Although some opponents of uranium mining claim that radiation from uranium mining operations puts the public at risk for increased rates of cancer, scientific studies have confirmed that it has not resulted in higher rates of cancer for members of the general public living in the vicinity of mines. Dr. John D. Boice, Jr., a professor of medicine at the Vanderbilt School of Medicine and science director for the International Epidemiological Institute, has conducted extensive public health studies of populations surrounding uranium mining and milling operations in Texas, New Mexico and Colorado. In four separate studies using data spanning 50 years, Dr. Boice examined the public health records of thousands of residents living in close proximity to uranium mining and milling operations. In all four studies, Dr. Boice found no difference in rates of cancer and cancer mortality in those communities compared to communities in other parts of the states.”