Elliot Lake has been a known uranium site from the mid-1950s to the 1960s, which has been the cause of many health disruptions in the communities surrounding these sites, for which harmful effects continue to linger because of the radioactive toxins that had contaminated their lakes.
Uranium is a very heavy metal which was often used in the creation of nuclear-powered atomic bombs during the cold war and was then progressively used to generate electricity. Exposure to uranium can result in both chemical and radioactive toxicity. In the mid-1950s Elliot Lake had become a mining site which attracted many people there to find work, part of these people were of the indigenous people. Throughout their work they were clueless as to what harmful …show more content…
Serpent Lake was an area known for producing sulfuric acid during the times nuclear power was being used to create atomic bombs; it was essential in its need with the uranium being mined 80 miles upstream. Afterwards, it was simply an abandoned factory around the late-1970s, yet toxic chemicals continued to have their existence striving in this area. It took 6 years for Indian Affairs to have the Canadian Army to demolish the factory. After the demolition, the Canadian army left behind 100 acres of rubble laced with radioactive toxic waste. As time came to pass, people were beginning to get very sick and without a sufficient amount of evidence, they were not legally capable of putting the fault on the uranium mining that was done, according to Ministry of Health government sector due to the lack of people impacted. Yet, as people went to see their doctors to receive a diagnosis; they were told it was because of the uranium. One of the first miners working at Elliot Lake said,” That is where I worked, and that is where I got my cancer”, he followed up by saying,“ I guess most of us (uranium miners) will be dying in a short …show more content…
Gilbert Oskaboose of the Ojibway tribe says, ” It (uranium toxic waste effects) goes all over the place”, and continues with,” It’ll catch up to you sooner or later” referring to the government’s standstill to clean up the mess. Indisputable evidence has finally been found to prove that uranium miners experience a very high incidence of lung cancer. According to a “1982 publication of Canada’s Atomic Energy Control Board estimates the risk to miners working 50 years at current acceptable levels of radiation exposure, it concluded they will experience 2 to 4 times as many lung cancers as the average populations”, says an online youtube video, Uranium by Tibor Roussou.
Now that evidence has been found, the question remains as to how we can eradicate the damage Uranium has caused communities all over Canada and how we can help and support indigenous people in their time of need after all their
Uranium is a very heavy metal which was often used in the creation of nuclear-powered atomic bombs during the cold war and was then progressively used to generate electricity. Exposure to uranium can result in both chemical and radioactive toxicity. In the mid-1950s Elliot Lake had become a mining site which attracted many people there to find work, part of these people were of the indigenous people. Throughout their work they were clueless as to what harmful …show more content…
Serpent Lake was an area known for producing sulfuric acid during the times nuclear power was being used to create atomic bombs; it was essential in its need with the uranium being mined 80 miles upstream. Afterwards, it was simply an abandoned factory around the late-1970s, yet toxic chemicals continued to have their existence striving in this area. It took 6 years for Indian Affairs to have the Canadian Army to demolish the factory. After the demolition, the Canadian army left behind 100 acres of rubble laced with radioactive toxic waste. As time came to pass, people were beginning to get very sick and without a sufficient amount of evidence, they were not legally capable of putting the fault on the uranium mining that was done, according to Ministry of Health government sector due to the lack of people impacted. Yet, as people went to see their doctors to receive a diagnosis; they were told it was because of the uranium. One of the first miners working at Elliot Lake said,” That is where I worked, and that is where I got my cancer”, he followed up by saying,“ I guess most of us (uranium miners) will be dying in a short …show more content…
Gilbert Oskaboose of the Ojibway tribe says, ” It (uranium toxic waste effects) goes all over the place”, and continues with,” It’ll catch up to you sooner or later” referring to the government’s standstill to clean up the mess. Indisputable evidence has finally been found to prove that uranium miners experience a very high incidence of lung cancer. According to a “1982 publication of Canada’s Atomic Energy Control Board estimates the risk to miners working 50 years at current acceptable levels of radiation exposure, it concluded they will experience 2 to 4 times as many lung cancers as the average populations”, says an online youtube video, Uranium by Tibor Roussou.
Now that evidence has been found, the question remains as to how we can eradicate the damage Uranium has caused communities all over Canada and how we can help and support indigenous people in their time of need after all their