Navajo Took Shelter Amid the Poison [View All]

[Rose Siding]

From 1944 to 1986, 3.9 million tons of uranium ore were dug and blasted from Navajo soil, nearly all of it for America's atomic arsenal. Navajos inhaled radioactive dust, drank contaminated water and built homes using rock from the mines and mills. Many of the dangers persist to this day. This four-part series examines the legacy of uranium mining on the Navajo reservation.

SUNDAY: Unaware of the danger
MONDAY: Toxic water
TUESDAY: Botched cleanup
WEDNESDAY: New technology

Part One: A peril that dwelt among the Navajos
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From 1944 to 1986, 3.9 million tons of uranium ore were chiseled and blasted from the mountains and plains. The mines provided uranium for the Manhattan Project, the top-secret effort to develop an atomic bomb, and for the weapons stockpile built up during the arms race with the Soviet Union.
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By treaty and law, the United States is responsible for the tribe's welfare, Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr. noted. But the government's response to the Cold War contamination has been half-hearted, he said.

"It's an emergency that is not being treated like an emergency," he said. "Where is our guardian?"

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-navajo19nov19,1,3773810.story?page=3