The Los Angeles Times is running a series on the devastating effects of uranium mining on the Navajo Nation.

From 1944 to 1986, 3.9 million tons of uranium were mined on the reservation. The sole buyer was the U.S. government, which used the uranium to build atomic bombs and stockpile weapons.

Tribal members worked the mines. Many now suffer from cancer. From the 1970s to the 1990s, the cancer death rate on the reservation doubled.

Even though the mining has stopped, the effects remain. More than 1,000 abandoned mines remain on the reservation, contributing to other disease like a neuropathy, which afflicts the nervous system and was found in Navajo babies during the mining boom.

The tribe recently outlawed uranium mining. But some companies are eyeing the reservation once again.

Get the Story:
A peril that dwelt among the Navajos (The Los Angeles Times 11/19)
pwday
Oases in Navajo desert contained 'a witch's brew' (The Los Angeles Times 11/20)

Relevant Links:
Eastern Navajo Dine Against Uranium Mining - http://www.endaum.org

Related Stories:
Navajo Nation hosts indigenous uranium summit (11/13)
Navajo Nation to allow uranium waste transport (10/25)
Navajo group opposes return of uranium mining (09/28)
Navajo Nation wins Nuclear-Free Future Award (09/28)
Judge rules on uranium mining at Navajo sites (07/27)
Mining an issue as Navajo Nation Council meets (04/20)
Nuclear panel halts uranium mining at Navajo sites (03/03)