Clean Up Or Shut Up - Navajos To Uranium Industry

[Bobbieo]

You can't blame the Navajo Nation for being a little gun-shy when it comes to a new round of uranium mining. After all, Navajo is at the front end of the nuclear food chain.

For more than 60 years, mining companies have benefited from Navajo labor and the Nation's rich uranium reserves, some reaping vast fortunes while paying workers with nothing more than a few groceries.

This worked out fine for the companies and federal government, because in later years, when workers began to suffer from uranium-related illnesses, there was no paper trail, therefore, workers didn't qualify for compensation under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act because they had no proof of work history.

Many went to their graves with only an apology from Congress for “the hardships they have endured” due to occupational exposure to radiation while employed in the uranium industry during the build-up to the Cold War.

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