The last paragraph of the story, "UVa. hosts forum on uranium
risks" (April 22, page A7), states: "What Virginia’s prize is in all of this is
the waste from the mine — about 58 billion pounds of waste. The question is,
does Virginia want to become a waste management facility?"
Well, do we?
The population of Danville and Pittsylvania County is
approximately 100,000. When you compute this out based on 58 billion pounds of
radioactive waste this accounts for 580,000 pounds of waste for every citizen
that resides in this county and city.
This waste that is commonly referred to as tailings contains 85
percent of the original radioactivity in the ore along with all the uranium
by-products. The tailings give off radon gas at substantial levels higher as the
undisturbed ore. I believe this can and will contaminate our water supply all
across this region for many years to come, rendering this area an environmental
disaster as well as an economic disaster.
It is imperative that we get rid of this threat to our economy and
environment by keeping the ban on uranium mining here in Virginia so that this
area can prosper and grow by attracting industry that offers no danger to the
water we drink and the air we breathe. We all realize now that clean water
cannot be taken for granted.
BOB CLEARY
Cascade
http://www2.godanriver.com/news/2012/may/04/will-we-be-radioactive-dump-site-ar-1889643/
