Uranium

Mining uranium is akin to mining asbestos.....and even today I guess there would be a mass outcry if asbestos mining were to be started up again. Native peoples around the world are ignorant of the dangers, they have had their families devastated by cancers in lungs-kidneys-stomach and colon-. Sterility, deformed children death and decimation of their communities resulted in their mining uranium. Uranium tailings contain over a dozen radioactive materials harmful to living beings...thorium 230, radium j 226, radon 222 etc. Nuke is not clean, green and certainly not cheap ! Check the current costing in UK for decommissioning all but two of their nuclear power stations. Uranium 238, which is left after enrichment, is currently in the bodies of Iraqi troops, civilians and allied troops as a result of killing people with shells made by UK and USA.

.The radioactive emissions from these bodies are leaking into the atmosphere to the detriment of global warming. What other nasty surprises can we expect from other purchasers of Australian uranium? Cremation of any body which has died from radiation emits radioactivity into the atmosphere. The enrichment of uranium for production of fuel rods adds hugely to global warming. Each 1000MWe (megawatt electric) nuclear plant requires the equivalent of 45 MWe coal plant which burns 135,000 tons of coal annually.
.After the enrichment to create fuel rods from uranium oxide nuclear reactors routinely emit toxic gasses including krypton, so uranium waste is already causing global warming wherever used. The plutonium and neptunium waste remains in the spent fuel rods and is very much more toxic than even the uranium oxide. It's appaling the amount of world nuclear incidents just for 2009.

.It's just a matter of time before Australia starts taking back waste, they know it can't be buried safely in glass, metal, Synrock or anything else, it will effect the area for years to come. Groundwater, land and air will be incredibly dangerously polluted. Is this what our premier wants to leave his children/grandchildren to deal with ? Plutonium alone has a half life of 250,000 years ! 500,000 years are required before nuclear waste drops below significant danger levels. In Hanford, USA, they tried burying nuclear waste. Steam was seen emerging from the burial site. The drums had disintegrated and waste leaked into the groundwater, boiling it. How close did they come to a nuclear explosion?

.Carting any substance connected with uranium/waste around the world attracts many hazards, the posibility of discharging its contents into the waters of the world. Chernoble and Three Mile Island are just two serious nuclear accidents which have occurred. How long can top quality uranium be mined before it will be dropped to grades as low as .01%. This will have to be transported, pulverised and thousands of tons required for a small amount of uranium with risk to the communities of radioactive dust being strewn around. Workers in this industry are not encouraged to remain long and their health is not monitored as regularly as it should be, whilst working or after they leave the job - why ?

.One way to help the power situation is to make it mandatory to install solar panels on any new home built...currently there are thousands of homes springing up and no sign of solar panels. With all the vacant land (ie desert) where is our renewable energy, 60% of greenhouse gasses are caused by more than power production, although installing more coal powered stations will not help the emissions problems. The premier and his ilk cannot seriously be expecting us to believe they are worried about global warming...billions of dollars from the sale of uranium and, God forbid, the storing of waste and selling off our state's minerals is all they seem interested in.