24 July 2011 | 12:00 AM
Re “The battle over Virginia Uranium,” editorial, July 18: The Virginia Beach study was an important step in understanding the realistic impacts of uranium mining in Virginia and how the Hampton Roads community could be affected. The study concludes that in a worst-case scenario, Lake Gaston, which provides drinking water for Virginia Beach and Chesapeake via the Norfolk reservoir, could be unsafe to drink for up to two years.
It is not a question of how likely a catastrophe is, as some have stated, but a question of the total costs and how to prepare for them. The full picture for uranium mining includes catastrophic events that occur in Virginia, and those costs far outweigh the benefits.
When we don’t prepare for the worst, we end up with catastrophes like the Gulf oil spill and the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster in Japan. A study that incorporates worst-case scenarios lets us fully understand all possibilities, so that we don’t have a catastrophe as seen all across the world today.
A catastrophic event is not the only risk. The toxic waste from uranium mining cannot be overlooked.
The proposed uranium mine would not only be a risk to our water but also could lead to indirect contamination through consumption of fish and wildlife contaminated by the dust and effluent of the uranium mine.
Additionally, the miners will face a significantly increased risk of lung cancer. A report by the British Columbia Medical Association, “Health Dangers of Uranium Mining,” concluded this:
“Uranium tailings will remain radioactive for hundreds of thousands of years, and will require such expensive long-term surveillance and maintenance by government and the local citizenry as to make statements about uranium mining providing revenue very misleading.”
Isn’t this enough for Virginia to keep the ban on uranium mining?
I applaud the Virginia Beach study as a good step to understanding how dangerous uranium mining will be for our state.
Christina M. Condon
Norfolk
Read more:
http://hamptonroads.com/2011/07/2-years-without-water
