Mining And Selling Radium And Uranium

Presented here is the story of the mining and sale of uranium and radium ore through biographical vignettes, chemistry, physics, geology, geography, occupational health, medical utilization, environmental safety and industrial history. Included are the people and places involved over the course of over 90 years of interconnected mining and sale of radium and uranium, finally ending in 1991 with the abandonment of radium paint and medical devices, Soviet nuclear parity, and the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.

Discusses effectiveness of uranium mine radiation safety standards, and Federal Radiation Council efforts to establish official radiation exposure safety standards for uranium miners. Includes Resource Management Corp. report UR-042 "Control of Radiation Exposure in Uranium Mines: A Cost and Economic Analysis," Nov. 4, 1968 (p. 223-299).

This book examines uranium mining and management in the United States with a focus on federal considerations. From 2005 to 2007, uranium prices increased from about $20 a pound to over $140 a pound, which led to renewed interest in uranium mining, both exploration and extraction, on federal land in the U.S. In early 2012, thousands of claims have been filed to explore for and potentially extract uranium on federal land. This increase in claims filed, has raised concerns about the potential impacts that an increased level of uranium exploration and extraction could have on the environment. During uranium extraction, the waste rock piles that are formed can introduce radionuclides (such as radium) and heavy metals (such as selenium and arsenic) into the environment. Before the mid-1970s, many mines on federal land, were abandoned without any reclamation, leaving a costly legacy of abandoned mines that pose potential health, safety, and environmental hazards.

The book presents the results from the Uranium Mining and Hydrogeology Conference (UMH VI) held in September 2011, in Freiberg, Germany. The following subjects are emphasised: Uranium Mining, Phosphate Mining and Uranium recovery. Cleaning up technologies for water and soil. Analysis and sensor for Uranium and Radon and Modelling.