Native American Indian Miners Must Be Provided Workers Compensation
Native Americans have worked for decades in the deep mines underneath the Colorado Plateau
. They have run drills to gouge soft, rich uranium ore from the rocks in the mine.This uranium was used in the nuclear warheads that the US deployed around the country and that eventually helped win the Cold War.
Meanwhile, these American Indian miners have themselves become casualties of the Cold War as a result of their work.
Due to the high level of radiation present in these Colorado mines, many of the workers are suffering from cancer and other illnesses, or have already succumbed to the diseases. Many have lost family members and even those that have survived continue to fight for their life.
The arms of these miners are webbed with scars caused by dialysis. Since kidney failure is a pervasive component of their failing health, the dialysis is a necessary part of their lives.
Tests for water contamination have found the presence of radioactive minerals in the drinking water given to the miners, which many now blame for their ailments.
1990 saw the passage of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act by the Congress. The goal in passing this law was to assist uranium miners who are suffering as a result of exposure to radiation while they worked the mines. This mining was undertaken strictly for the advancement of the American nuclear weapons program.
Every worker that mined uranium underground was granted $100,000 by Congress. This was based on the condition that they were experiencing one of six possible lung diseases that are linked to being exposed to radiation.
While hundreds of miners have met all of the preconditions necessary to begin receiving payments, most have yet to see a single dime.
The miners have found that filing a claim is almost impossible because of many of the requirements of the statute.
The paperwork, for example, must be completed in English only. However, many American Indians cannot speak English well, as it is not their primary language.
The Office of Navajo Uranium Workers has submitted 242 applications to the US Government, and only 96 of these have successfully gone through.
A total of 1,314 claims from uranium workers have been approved by the Justice Department. Compare this to the 1,316 applications that have been denied.
Documentation, such as check stubs, are required to prove the miners' work hours.
Most people don't hang onto check stubs for several decades and the miners are no different. These records are even more troublesome to get a hold of later on.
The United States government first opened up the uranium minds on the Navajo Indian Reservation back in 1947. Jobs were scarce at that time so the new mine was a welcome opportunity for the residents of the reservation. This was despite the low wages and poor conditions offered.
Outside of the pure uranium ore itself, radon is a huge concern in the mines. Radon is a product of decaying uranium and is difficult to detect because it is colorless and odorless.
It is the radon exposure which experts believe causes the lung diseases that afflict the miners who have become eligible for the uranium mine compensation.
This fall, former miners and tribal officials will lobby Congress to get changes made in the law so that former miners can more easily qualify for payments.
The government faces the issue that many Navajo miners believe that they are entitled to compensation simply because they worked in these mines, and not because of existing illness.
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