Jadugoda, India Uranium mining site

Uranium mining in the region around Jadugoda has not only contributed to India’s nuclear weapons program, but has caused grave environmen- tal damage as well. Also, the indigenous Adivasi people are experienc ing serious health problems due to continued exposure to radioactivity from working in the mines and living near the irradiated tailings.

History When India began searching for fi ssile material to fuel its young nuclear industry in the early 1950s, it found uranium ore deposits near the sleepy village of Jadu- goda (also spelled Jadugora) in the state of Jharkhand. About 35,000 people belonging to the indigenous Adivasi tribes live within a 5-kilometer radius of the mines. These communities had to give up their fi elds cer.1 A study performed by the Kyoto University of Ja- and rice paddies to make room for the mining indus- pan in 2004 found excess gamma radiation exceeding try. In 1967, India’s state owned uranium corporation, 1 mSv per year in the villages and reaching 10 mSv per UCIL, began mining uranium near Jadugoda and, lat- year around the tailings ponds.3 As internal radiation er, near the surrounding villages of Bhatin, Narwapa- probably contributes most to total doses however, the har and Turamdih, employing 5,000–7,000 people in individual levels of exposure to radioactivity are likely to the mines.1,2 A uranium processing plant was also set be much higher than these estimates. It has been es- up, manufacturing “yellowcake,” which is used to pro- tablished that an additional exposure of 1 mSv per year vide energy for nuclear power plants and to deliver the leads to two additional cancer cases per 10,000 peo- fi ssile material for India’s nuclear weapons program. ple per year, while an additional exposure of 10 mSv As a result of low uranium content of 0.06 %, the Ja- would lead to 20 additional cancer cases per 10,000 Uranium ore is transported in uncovered trucks on bumpy roads, causing radioactive debris to fall off and land on the side of the dugoda mines generate large quantities of radioacti- people per year.4 road, where it can irradiate unwitting pedestrians for many years. Photo: © Swaroop Singh ve waste, so called tailings, which are transported by pipelines to huge tailings ponds. Accidents and spills Outlook at these nuclear waste depositories are frequent, how- ever, as safety precautions are minimal. On Decem- As several studies have shown signifi cant health ef- ber 24, 2006 for example, a pipe carrying radioactive fects of uranium mining on the local population, com- wastes from the mill to a tailings pond burst, discharg- parable to those found in other uranium mining sites ing highly toxic wastes into the Subarnarekha river.1 around the world, the Bihar Legislative Council called in 1998 for an evacuation of the villages at least 5 km away from the tailings ponds as well as more effective Health and environmental e ects safety precautions.3,5 Their report was largely ignored The people of Jadugoda are exposed to radioactivity and nothing has happened since. Instead, UCIL has in several ways: mining and milling operations produce fi nanced and published studies that aim to demon- uranium dust and release radon gas, both of which are strate that no medical effects are to be expected in the inhaled by miners and cause internal irradiation. Ura- local population. The tragedy in Jadugoda continues. nium ore is transported in uncovered trucks on bumpy In the process of helping the Indian government deve- roads, causing radioactive debris to fall off and land on lop nuclear weapons, the Adivasi became Hibakusha. the side of the road, where it can irradiate unwitting pedestrians for many years. Further information The mine tailings retain 75–80 % of the ore’s origi- On YouTube you can fi nd two informative background nal radiation and are dumped in unlined and uncov- movies on the subject of uranium mining in Jadugoda: ered ponds, which emit radon gas and gamma radia- tion. Villages such as Dumridih are located right next “Buddha weeps in Jadugoda” produced by the Locals swimming in contaminated water, with a uranium mine in the background. During the monsoon rains, radioactive waste to these tailings ponds. During the dry season, dust spills into the surrounding creeks and rivers, causing internal radiation exposure as villagers use the contaminated water for wash- Bind rai Institute for Research Study & Action: ing and drinking. Photo: © Swaroop Singh from the tailings is blown through these villages; dur- http://youtu.be/upzt4ESu908 ing the monsoon rains, radioactive waste spills into the surrounding creeks and rivers, causing further internal “Jadugoda – The Black Magic,” produced by IDPD: radiation as villagers use the contaminated water for http://youtu.be/eIOmavVcG3M washing and drinking. Radioactive waste rock was also used to construct roads and houses in the villages.2,3 An independent study carried out by the Indian Doc- tors for Peace and Development (IDPD) in 2007 sur- veyed nearly 4,000 households in a large-scale ca- se-controlled study. They found that babies born in the affected area had almost twice as many congenital deformities as babies born in non-contaminated con- trol villages and that these led to death in 9 % of the cases – more than 5 times higher than the reference mortality rate. The study also showed a higher rate of infertility among couples in the affected area, a lower life expectancy and a higher mortality rate due to can-

References 1 Rahman S. “Study on health status of indigenous people around Jadugoda uranium mines in India.” Indian Doctor for Peace and Development, 2010. http://ippnweupdate.fi les.wordpress.com/2010/11/singhshakeel.pdf 2 Dias X. “Uranium Mining – Where the debate begins. The Case of Jadugoda.” Ecologist Asia, May 2000. Adivasi protests in Bihar against uranium mining in Jadugoda, Jharkhand. Photo from the documentary “Buddha Weeps in www.docstoc.com/docs/26802217/uranium-mining---where-the-debate-begins 3 Koide H. “Radioactive contamination around Jadugoda uranium mine in India.” Research Reactor Institute, Kyoto University, Jaduguda.“ July 8th, 2002. www.jca.apc.org/~misatoya/jadugoda/english/koide.html 4 “BEIR VII report, phase 2: Health risks from exposure to low levels of ionizing radiation.” National Academy of Sciences Advisory Committee on the Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation, 2006, p. 279f, tables 12.5a and 12.5b. www.nap.edu/openbook.php? record_id=11340&page=8 5 Sahay V. “Uranium hits Jadugoda tribals.” Financial Express, December 28, 1998. www.expressindia.com/fe/daily/19981228/36255804.html

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