Safety concerns dog French uranium mines in Niger

Still no sign of medical provisions Areva promised in 2009

Guardian Weekly,
Friday 15 October 2010 17.57 BST

For years uranium mining in Niger proceeded without giving rise to any major problems for companies, but things changed at the turn of the century. Since then the population of the mining town Arlit has become increasingly concerned that radioactivity may be exceeding regulatory limits.

Local residents contacted Criirad (Committee for independent research and information on radioactivity), a private laboratory in France, which carried out a series of measurements in 2003. Their report, published the following December, started a controversy that continues to plague Areva.

Criirad, assisted by the Sherpa group of lawyers, drew attention to several issues: it concluded that inadequate precautions were being taken to contain radioactive dust from the mines; there was a risk of groundwater contamination; radioactive scrap metal from machinery and trucks, which had been in contact with the ore, was being sold on local markets.

In addition there had been shortcomings in the protection of workers against radiation, and increasing numbers of people living at Arlit or Akokan, a nearby town, cited this as the cause of their ill health.

This groundswell, which coalesced around the Aghir In'Man organisation in Arlit, led Cogema (as Areva was called until 2001) to acknowledge failings in its management, accepting that many improvements could be made to the radiation monitoring system.

The controversy rumbled on, with several minor crises, in particular in 2005 when evidence was obtained of excess radiation at two springs.

Areva took various corrective measures but also started negotiations with Sherpa. An agreement was finalised in 2009 providing for the setting up of a health and safety observatory: medical staff, appointed by a joint committee representing the company and civil society, would examine any former miners who requested a check-up. If an occupational complaint linked to radiation was diagnosed, Areva would pay for treatment.

A year later there is still no sign of the observatory.

Furthermore in February Greenpeace and Criirad published another report alleging that there were serious hotspots in the town itself. "Little progress has been made since 2003," says Bruno Chareyron at Criirad. "Monitoring of mine tailings has improved, but no solution has been found to the problems with groundwater and radioactive waste."

Areva disputes this analysis. "In a few weeks' time we shall be publishing a document responding to these serious, unfounded accusations," says Didier Fohlen at Areva. The company has also started taking regular measurements of radiation in the streets of Arlit and Akokan, assisted by Aghir In'Man.

A representative of the organisation, Almoustapha Alhacen, says: "Monitoring started as a result of the Greenpeace report, but it is a pity no progress has been made with the search for scrap metal inside homes."

Read more:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/15/niger-mining