For decades, Native American miners have worked the mines of the Colorado Plateau. The mining process requires the use of a drill to excavate yellow, soft uranium ore from these rocks. These are the same mines where thousands of Native Americans dug out the uranium that was used in the nuclear warheads that are credited with aiding America to win the Cold War.
Most people are unaware of the part these miners played in the Cold War or the terrible tragedy that they are suffering now. Due to the high level of radiation present in these Colorado mines, many of the workers are suffering from cancer and other illnesses, or have already succumbed to the diseases. Some still live, but each day is a battle to survive, and most families have lost loved ones to cancer.
Dialysis treatments leave numerous scars of the arms of nearly all of the laborers. Since kidney failure is a pervasive component of their failing health, the dialysis is a necessary part of their lives. Workers were told the water in the mines was safe to drink, but science has since proven that it actually contained trace levels of radioactive materials.
In 1990, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act was ratified by Congress. Congress intended to provide uranium miners who have been exposed to dangerous levels of radiation with some much needed assistance in dealing with the pain they suffer every day. The fact is that the majority of this work was simply done to advance the country’s nuclear weapons program.
The law provides $100,000 to each underground uranium miner. The criteria for receiving this compensation is that the miner must experience at least one out of the six lung diseases that stem from exposure to radiation. Hundreds of American Indian miners, who are eligible for this compensation, have not been paid.
The language of the compensation law creates a lot of difficult red tape for the miners to go through. The paperwork that is required for submitting a claim must be filled out and written in English. However, there are many Native Americans who do not speak or write English.
Of the 242 miners who have applied for compensation through the Office of Navajo Uranium Workers, only 96 have been approved. Overall, the Justice Department has approved 1,314 claims from former uranium miners. However, a further 1,316 applications have been denied.
A worker is required to provide check stubs for a record as proof of working there, plus more documentation is required to prove the specific amount of time the worker spent in the mines. Most of the workers who have been in the mines for decades don’t keep those kinds of records for their work. In addition, trying to recover the documentation through the authorities has been difficult.
In 1947, the first uranium mines were started on and near the Navajo Indian Reservation. The mines were welcomed by the people in the area because they brought jobs and income to the area. They presented an opportunity to work, even though the pay was low and the conditions horrible.
Radon is seen as one of the leading health hazards in the mines. Radon is a product of decaying uranium and is difficult to detect because it is colorless and odorless. Many of the lung ailments being suffered by mine workers are believed to actually have been caused by radon.
In the hope of making changes to the law from 1990 and to make it easier for eligible miners to receive compensation for their ailments, tribal officers and afflicted miners plan to lobby Congress later this year. The problem facing the government is that all Navajo miners think that they receive compensation not based on anything else but their work.
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