Anne Anahid Shirinian-Orlando, the US Coordinator for The Greens Union of Armenia, Yerevan, Armenia for EcoLur

In response to recent news about Russian government’s interest in Armenia’s uranium deposits, I would like to present the true and real picture of the consequences for Armenia, should the intent to mine and mill uranium in Armenia becomes a reality.  Although it is not clear how much uranium exists in Armenia (Soviet geologists had estimated to be low), nevertheless, there seems to be an active interest in mining uranium in Armenia.  Needless to say that the Greens Union of Armenia, as well as the public, in general, are opposed to mining of uranium in Armenia. Given Armenia’s very small size and its aging Nuclear Power Station, which is being operated without any acceptable standard of monitoring of radiation emission or discharge into the environment, obviously there is no desire to add to the country’s nuclear radiation contamination.

On the other hand, let us make sure that we understand that the uranium mining and milling in Armenia will NOT make Armenia a master of  “the entire cycle of the peaceful exploitation of nuclear energy”, as the head of Russia’s Federal Agency on Atomic Energy (Rosatom), Sergey Kirienko, would like us to believe.   There is a need for subsequent uranium enrichment, after the mining and the milling stages, in order to make nuclear fuel for both civilian and military use.  Since the enrichment will be done outside of Armenia, Armenia will have the radioactive contamination from mining and milling, but no nuclear fuel for weapons or for civilian use.  Thus, Armenia still has to import the nuclear fuel to power its aging Nuclear Power Station.

Now, since carcinogenic and mutagenic properties of nuclear radiation are well known, I would like to summarize, briefly, the particular forms and hazards of radiation involved with uranium mining and milling.

Hazards of Uranium Mining

Large volumes of waste rock, (rock which does not contain the ore), is produced during the open pit mining when overburden is removed, and also during underground mining when driving tunnels through non-ore zones. Piles of so-called waste rock often contain elevated concentrations of radioisotopes compared to normal rock. Other waste piles consist of ore with too low a grade for processing. All these piles threaten people and the environment due to their release of radon gas and seepage water containing radioactive and toxic materials.  In addition, to keep water out of the mine during operation, large amounts of contaminated water are pumped out and released to rivers and lakes. When the pumps are shut down after closure of the mine, there is a risk of groundwater and surface water contamination from the rising water level.

Miners are exposed to mine dust and mine radon gas via 3 main pathways:
•    Inhalation/swallowing of radium (an alpha-emitter with a half life of 1,600 years, a decay product of uranium), also inhalation of radon gas and of radon progeny.
•    External radiation (gamma radiation from uranium ore, alpha radiation from radon gas, etc.).
•    Inhalation of uranium ore dust

For example, Radium is absorbed by the intestine and is carried to the bone, where it can cause leukemia or bone cancer.  Also, uranium itself is acutely radioactive and toxic.

Past and current health records of uranium miners and of populations living near the mines and mills show that the radiation in the mines and from the mill tailings produces an epidemic of cancer both for the miners and for the population living near the mines and  mill tailings – in particular – throat, lung, liver and bone cancers, as well as leukemia.  For example: “Cancer cases among Aboriginal people living near Australia”s biggest uranium mine appear to be almost double the expected rate, a study by the Federal Government”s leading indigenous research body shows” (Sydney Morning Herald,  23 November, 2006).  Another example: “Of the 1,500 Navajo men recruited in the 1940s through the 1960s from a simple farming life to mine uranium at Cove and Red Valley, Arizona, 1,112 miners or their families have filed for government compensation related to lung cancer and other radiation induced diseases” (Nuclear Madness, by Helen Caldicott). Also, note that mines have frequent spills, leaks and breaches of regulations, so that miners can end-up drinking uranium-contaminated water, such as in the Jabiluka mine, Australia.  And finally, consider the legacy of uranium mining:  “Over a decade after uranium mining ended in Tajikistan, the country is finally facing up to its nuclear legacy. Specialists estimate that almost 55 million tones of uranium waste lie buried across the north of the country, posing a major ecological threat.  The waste could remain harmful for hundreds of years. Making it safe would require the kind of technology Tajikistan just does not possess.” (International War & Peace Reporting (IWPR, London), Reporting Central Asia Bulletin No.394, July 2005).

Hazards of Uranium Mill Tailings

Ore mined in open pit or underground mines is crushed and leached in a uranium mill. A uranium mill is a chemical plant designed to extract uranium from ore.  In most cases, sulfuric acid is used as the leaching agent, but alkaline leaching is also used. The leaching agent not only extracts uranium from the ore, but also several other constituents like molybdenum, vanadium, selenium, iron, lead and arsenic, thus, the uranium must be separated out of the leaching solution. The final product produced from the mill, commonly referred to as “yellow cake” (U3O8 with impurities), is packed and shipped in casks.  In the end, large amounts of radioactively contaminated scrap, that is tailings, are produced, which have to be disposed of .  Uranium mill tailings are normally disposed of (dumped) as a sludge in special ponds or piles, where they are abandoned.  The amount of sludge produced is nearly the same as that of the ore milled. At a typical grade of 0.1% uranium, 99.9% of the material is left over as scrap/tailings.

Apart from the portion of the uranium removed, the sludge contains all the constituents of the ore. Because long lived decay products such as thorium-230 (gamma emitter with a half-life of 80,000 years) and radium-226 are not removed, the sludge contains 85% of the initial radioactivity of the ore.  Radionuclides contained in uranium tailings emit 20 to 100 times as much gamma-radiation as natural background levels on deposit surfaces. The radium-226 in tailings continuously decays to the radioactive gas radon-222, the decay products of which can cause lung cancer upon inhalation. Some of this radon escapes from the interior of the pile. Radon releases are a major hazard that continues after uranium mines are shut down. Since radon spreads quickly with the wind, many people receive small additional radiation doses.  Also, uranium mill tailings disposed of as sludge in piles or ponds are anything but safe.  For example, “Killer landslides could spread radioactive pollution across much of southern Kyrgyzstan.   Environmental officials in Kyrgyzstan are warning that a spate of landslides threatens to contaminate large parts of the Fergana valley with radioactive waste. Landslides caused by rains occur annually. But the downpours have been unusually heavy this year, and the mudslides they create are made worse by the deforestation of mountain slopes that has taken place over the last decade. Analysts now fear that toxic waste dumped 30 years ago at a disused uranium mine near the town of Mayluu-Suu could be washed away in a torrent of mud.” (International War & Peace Reporting (IWPR), 05 May 2003).

Due to technical limitations, all of the uranium present in the ore cannot be extracted. Therefore, the sludge also contains 5% to 10% of the uranium initially present in the ore. In addition, the sludge contains heavy metals and other contaminants such as arsenic, as well as chemical reagents used during the milling process.  Moreover, the constituents inside the tailings pile are in a geochemical dis-equilibrium that results in various reactions causing additional hazards to the environment. For example, in dry areas, salts containing contaminants can migrate to the surface of the pile, where they are subject to erosion. If the ore contains the mineral pyrite (FeS2), then sulfuric acid forms inside the deposit when accessed by precipitation and oxygen. This acid causes a continuous automatic leaching of contaminants, including the radioisotopes.  After hundreds of thousands of years, the radioactivity of the tailings and thus its radon emanation will have decreased so that it is only limited by the residual uranium contents.

Conclusion

Uranium mining and milling should be absolutely prohibited in Armenia.  Neither the Ministers of the RA government, nor the deputies of the National Assembly have the right to make such a decision, which will violate the basic human rights to life and health and will devastate the environment.  The people, in particular, the inhabitants of the mining region (Syunik, in this case), who will be paying the high cost of mining, must be given the opportunity to decide for themselves as to mine or not to mine uranium. It is the inhabitants of the mining region who will be deprived of a healthy living space and a sustainable livelihood from agricultural activity, which will be destroyed as a result of mining and milling.  The rest of Armenia will suffer also, for example, from the spread of radioactive mining dust, from Radon gas and from the dust of uranium mill tailings sludge as it dries in ponds.  Thus, the will of the people must be considered in the decision making process.

Finally, consider the political risk of establishing a nuclear enrichment facility in Central Asia, which is penetrated by Muslim extremists, and where the Russian government has a certain amount of control today, but not necessarily tomorrow (examples are Chechnia, Georgia and elsewhere).  An enrichment facility produces nuclear fuel, which can be used for both civilian and military purpose (in weapons).

Recommended Action

We call upon the people in Armenia, environmental organizations, human rights organizations and mass media to protest a possible uranium mining decision by the Armenian government. All research and assessment for the mining activity must be carried out with the participation of independent experts, and the negative consequences on people and nature must be fully calculated in the cost-benefit analysis.

We call upon organizations of the Armenian Diaspora, foreign and international environmental organizations to support the Armenian civil society and environmentalists to prevent mining and milling of uranium in Armenia.

We call upon the Armenian government to invest (or find investors) in developing solar and wind energy instead, which will be a powerful and sustainable source of energy, will create long-term jobs in the country and contribute to the development of modern technologies in Armenia.

http://www.ecolur.org/en/news/2009-03-06/214/

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

EURASIA INSIGHT ARMENIA: CONTROVERSY SURROUNDS URANIUM MINE Marianna Grigoryan 12/01/09 A protest movement against a planned Russian-Armenian uranium mine in southern Armenia appears to be picking up steam, with discussions underway with three political parties about a partnership. The mine, a 50-50 joint venture between Armenia and Russia, will be located in the mineral-rich region of Syunik, already the home to two copper and molybdenum mining operations. Soviet-era studies indicated that Armenia could contain up to approximately 60,000 tons of uranium. With uranium prices at roughly $97 per kilogram, that means the Syunik mine could create considerable revenue for Armenian state coffers. Yerevan plans to export the uranium to Russia, where it would be enriched for nuclear fuel to be used in Armenia’s nuclear power plant. Exploration work in the field is already underway. Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Areg Galstian stated at an late October conference on Armenian-Russian energy cooperation. The Armenian-Russian Mining Company holds a five-year permit for exploration of uranium ore in Syunik. Company data indicates that exploration is taking place in southern and northern Syunik. But local residents, including inhabitants of the nearby regional capital, Kapan, and the mining town of Kajaran fear the consequences. Expressing concern about chances for a spike in cancer rates and genetic mutations once uranium mining starts, the head of the Greens’ Union of Armenia, Hakob Sanasarian, called the project “a disaster for both the local and the national population.” The director of a local Karabakh War veterans’ rights group agreed. “If they start mining uranium, we will fight using all possible methods,” Khoren Harutiunian declared. “We will even block the roads.” Discussions are being held with three prominent political parties about an alliance to block the mine, Harutiunian said. He declined to identify the parties involved in the discussions. The anti-mine movement also plans to start a letter-writing campaign to government officials this week; some 2,000 Kapan residents have already joined the protest, they claim. Geochemist Sergei Grigorian, a member of the National Academy of Sciences who is overseeing the geological survey of the Syunik uranium deposits for the Armenian-Russian Mining Company, called the outcry misplaced. “[T]his is … caused by some misunderstanding because what we do now is safe,” Grigorian said. “The mining work should be organized so that they will not cause any environmental problems.” The Soviet-era figures about Armenia’s estimated uranium deposits could be 10 times higher than what exists in reality — a situation that could impact the Company’s plans for Syunik, he continued. Nonetheless, he underlined, Armenia requires fuel for its nuclear power plant and must secure its own supplies. “[W]hat if we can no longer get uranium from Russia?” Grigorian asked. “We need to have some culture of mining. … We cannot just sit and starve.” If the project proceeds on schedule, work on the surface of the mine site will start in 2010, and holes will be drilled to reach the uranium ore deposits, he said. But environmentalists question Grigorian’s assurances on the environment. “It’s up to an international independent expert group to decide whether [the uranium mining] is safe or not,” affirmed Inga Zarafian, chairperson of the non-governmental organization EcoLur. Grigorian stresses that public discussions have been held to explain to some 1,000 local community members how the mine will operate and safety standards maintained. The head of the Lernadzor community administration, however, contends that public discussions are not enough. “How can I support such activities if all this results in is people wanting to leave the village?” asked Stepan Petrosian. “I don’t know even whether I should finish building my house or not. Will my grandchildren ever live here?” For now, that question remains unanswered, but the fear about the mines hangs on. Pledged activist Haroutiunian: “We will fight till the end.” Editor’s Note: Marianna Grigoryan is a freelance reporter based in Yerevan. http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav120109.shtml