Niger: AREVA confirms Greenpeace's alarming radiation findings in Niger - Greenpeace response

Comment:  So the so call leaders of Virginia says VA should be like France when it comes to Nuke Power and uranium mining!  I mean really, duh, don't think so!  Ban uranium mining now!

Greenpeace International (Amsterdam)
5 January 2010

press release

Following Greenpeace's report of radioactive hotspots in the uranium mining city Akokan in Niger, AREVA has confirmed that the radioactivity in the streets of Akokan was unacceptably high.

Under pressure from civil society the French nuclear company has taken action to clean up the spots indicated by Greenpeace

"Areva's reaction supports our call for a comprehensive, transparent and independent environmental assessment of the area," said Dr. Rianne Teule of Greenpeace International.

"We are glad that the streets of Akokan have been partly cleaned up, but remain very concerned that other problems cannot be ruled out without a comprehensive study.

Decades of uranium mining have created radioactive dangers to the people of Akokan.
A Greenpeace team visited AREVA's two uranium mines in Niger at the beginning of November 2009.

During this visit Greenpeace identified dangerous levels of radiation in the streets of Akokan, at one location up to 500 times higher than the normal background levels.

AREVA had earlier declared the streets safe.

Read more:
http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/201001050945.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn2JjavSuPc
http://weblog.greenpeace.org/nuclear-reaction/2010/01/areva_confirms_greenpeaces_ala.html