2009 September 03 « Antinuclear

Asbestos and Uranium

a-cat-CAN Christina Macpherson 3 Sept 09

It’s hard to get your head around the magnitude of the asbestos scandal, world-wide. Phillip Adams covered this very recently, in ABC Radio National’s Late Night Live (podcast available at ABC Radio National – Late Night Live – Home

Matt Peacock’s new book “Killer Company” details the James Hardie asbestos story in Australia. Another author’s new book tells the world-wide, and continuing story of asbestos contamination, corporate cover-up, and huge profits gained by companies which vanish long before they can be held accountable.

Meanwhile, the same process now kicks on, with uranium mining. But with one significant difference. It is actually easy to prove that a person’s nasty, fatal mesothelioma cancer was caused by asbestos. It is difficult to prove that invisible, unsmellable, tasteless radioactivity has caused a person’s nasty fatal cancer.

Hence the uranium mining corporations, and their investors, can relax. Their money will be made long before the scandalous health cost becomes public knowledge.

September 3, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, Christina reviews, health, uranium | antinuclear, Australia, nuclear, nuclear costs, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

As asbestos scandal is revealed, uranium threat develops

Uranium mining ‘poses Wittenoom threat’ to Kimberley

ABC News 2 Sept 09

A Western Australian politician says the Kimberley is in danger of becoming the next Wittenoom if the Federal Government allows uranium mining to go ahead.There are between 30 and 40 uranium tenements in the Kimberley, in the state’s north, and Greens’ MP Robin Chapple says there are at least 12 proposed uranium mines in the region.

Mr Chapple was in Broome for a uranium mining forum last night and says the community has been lulled into a false sense of security about the practice.He says in some cases, uranium mining in the United States and India has wiped out all of the male members of some families.”In terms of the health effects we know there’s approximately a cohort of 10 per cent cancers in the workforce after about 20 years – so similar sort of effects as asbestos and Wittenoom [in WA’s Pilbara],” he said.