ProPublicaDec 3, 2022

In America’s rush to build the #nuclear arsenal that won the Cold War, safety was sacrificed for speed.

#Uranium mills that helped fuel the weapons also dumped #radioactive and toxic waste into rivers. Thousands of sheep turned blue & died after foraging on tainted land. #Cancer wards across the West swelled with sick uranium workers.

The government bankrolled the industry but didn’t have a plan for the toxic byproducts of this nuclear assembly line.

https://www.propublica.org/article/uranium-mills-pollution-cleanup-us?utm_medium=social&utm_source=mastodon&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

The Cold War Legacy Lurking in U.S. Groundwater

For the first time, ProPublica has cataloged cleanup efforts at the 50-plus sites where uranium was processed to fuel the nation’s nuclear arsenal. Even after regulators say cleanup is complete, polluted water and sickness are often left behind.

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@ProPublica good reporting on legacy environmental problems of uranium (U) mining. What about current nukes? The U.S. mined only 5% of its total U purchases in 2021. The rest? Kazakhstan 35%, Canada 15%, Australia 14%, Russia 14%, Namibia 7%, & 5 other countries 10%. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/nuclear/where-our-uranium-comes-from.php
So we’ve outsourced environmental hazards & rely on former Soviet nations for half our U. #nuclear #energy #EnergySecurity #NationalSecurity
Where our uranium comes from - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

Energy Information Administration - EIA - Official Energy Statistics from the U.S. Government

Dec 3, 2022 at 4:56pmWeb
Show threadMarkDec 3, 2022
@ProPublica good to bookmark this article for next time someone tells you the *only* way to avert climate catastrophe is 100% nuclear, cuz it’s clean, safe, and always on. #energy #EnergyTransition #nuclear #nuclearEnergy