Indianz.Com > News > Kaiser Health News: Navajo Nation deals with consequences of uranium mining
‘American Diagnosis’ Episode 3: Uranium Mining Left Navajo Land and People in Need of Healing
‘Rezilience,’ Season 4 of the ‘American Diagnosis’ podcast, traces the resilience of Indigenous peoples in the U.S. taking action to protect the health and well-being of their communities.
Thursday, February 17, 2022
Kaiser Health News
Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen.Click here for a transcript of the episode.
Episode 3: Abandoned Mines, Abandoned Health
On the morning of July 16, 1979, a dam broke at a uranium mine near Church Rock, New Mexico, releasing 1,100 tons of radioactive waste and pouring 94 million gallons of contaminated water into the Rio Puerco. Toxic substances flowed downstream for nearly 100 miles, according to a report to a congressional committee that year.In the 1970s, uranium mining was a good source of income, leading many Indigenous people and other locals to seek out jobs in the mines and the mills where uranium ore was processed in preparation for making fuel. The work was often grueling, but many young people didn’t have other options to support their families.Episode 3 is an exploration of the forces that brought uranium mining to the Navajo Nation, the harmful consequences, and the fight for compensation that continues today. It is the first in a two-episode arc of reporting about uranium mining.
![Uranium on Navajo Nation](https://indianz.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/17/navajouranium-scaled.jpg)
- Amber Crotty, Navajo Nation Council delegate, Window Rock, Arizona — @Kanazbah
- Linda Evers, president of Post 71 Uranium Workers Committee and former uranium mine worker
- Phil Harrison, activist and former uranium mine worker
- Larry King, activist and former uranium mine worker
- Judy Pasternak, journalist and author of “Yellow Dirt: An American Story of a Poisoned Land and a People Betrayed”
- Edith Hood, activist and former probe technician for Kerr-McGee Corp.
- Cipriano Lucero, former uranium mine worker
Search
Filed Under
Tags
More Headlines
Leader of FCC addresses Women Empowering Women for Indigenous Nations conference
VIDEO: Secretary Haaland message on Indian boarding school investigation
Leaders of Senate Committee on Indian Affairs issue statements on Indian boarding school investigation
Native America Calling: ‘Acknowledge, Apologize, Repudiate’ for Indian boarding schools
Cronkite News: Native basketball tournament offers more than hoops
‘They snuck through’: Tribes condemn shipment of uranium material through their lands
Native America Calling: Catch up on all the Native news
Indian boarding school investigation puts billion-dollar figure on genocidal policy
The Conversation: The legacy of the Indian Citizenship Act
Cronkite News: Native skateboarders showcase artistry and heritage
Leader of Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians joins state history board
Native America Calling: Indigenous athletes: what it takes to get to the Olympics
VIDEO: Legislative Hearing to receive testimony on S.4370 & S.4505
VIDEO: Business Meeting to consider S.2783, S.3406, S.4000 & S.4365
VIDEO: Sharice Davids rallies support for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris
More Headlines
VIDEO: Secretary Haaland message on Indian boarding school investigation
Leaders of Senate Committee on Indian Affairs issue statements on Indian boarding school investigation
Native America Calling: ‘Acknowledge, Apologize, Repudiate’ for Indian boarding schools
Cronkite News: Native basketball tournament offers more than hoops
‘They snuck through’: Tribes condemn shipment of uranium material through their lands
Native America Calling: Catch up on all the Native news
Indian boarding school investigation puts billion-dollar figure on genocidal policy
The Conversation: The legacy of the Indian Citizenship Act
Cronkite News: Native skateboarders showcase artistry and heritage
Leader of Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians joins state history board
Native America Calling: Indigenous athletes: what it takes to get to the Olympics
VIDEO: Legislative Hearing to receive testimony on S.4370 & S.4505
VIDEO: Business Meeting to consider S.2783, S.3406, S.4000 & S.4365
VIDEO: Sharice Davids rallies support for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris
More Headlines