Some Native American Indians Who Were Miners Were Victims Of The Cold War
For several decades, American Indians have been the primary workers in mines that are located deep under the Colorado Plateau
.The mining process requires the use of a drill to excavate yellow, soft uranium ore from these rocks. This uranium was used to enrich the nuclear warheads that were later used to help win the Cold War in favor of America.
Yet, a great number of these very miners became victims of the Cold War. They are either dead or drying from cancer and other ailments blamed on exposure to radiation in the mines. Those that have survived such sicknesses still continue to fight for their lives and many have lost family members.
Dialysis treatments leave numerous scars of the arms of nearly all of the laborers. Kidney failure is just one of the illnesses caused by the condition in these mines.
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.
In 1990, Congress passed the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. This law was intended to help uranium miners and those who suffer as a result of mining work. After all, these miners worked almost entirely on behalf of the American nuclear weapons program.
Under the law, each eligible uranium miner is entitled to a $100,000 compensation. The only condition required was that they should have been diagnosed with one of six possible lung diseases that are linked to radiation exposure.
Yet hundreds of American Indian miners who are eligible to receive these funds have not received a dime of it.
The act, as it was written, forces these miners to face conditions that are almost impossible to meet. Firstly, the paperwork is all in English. However, many of the Indian miners are illiterate in English and find the forms confusing.
Astoundingly, only 96 miners who have filed compensation claims through the Office of Navajo Uranium Workers have been approved, even though 242 miners have applied.
Overall, the Justice Department has approved 1,314 claims from former uranium miners. Compare this to the 1,316 applications that have been denied.
Workers need to prove to the government the amount of time worked in the uranium mines by providing check stubs, records or other documentation as part of the application process.
Those who have been working in the mines for decades don't tend to keep these records. Without pay stubs or the ability to order proof or records from employers, this part of the process has been a roadblock for many workers.
Uranium mines, both on and around the Navajo Indian Reservation, opened in 1947. The jobs and careers that accompanied the mines were welcomed in the beginning. Even though the conditions were miserable and the pay was low, they were glad to work.
Radon is seen as one of the leading health hazards in the mines. Radon is a product of decaying uranium and is difficult to detect because it is colorless and odorless. Exposure to radon is believed to be a cause of most of the lung ailments that make miners eligible for government compensation.
Former miners and officials within these tribes have plans to work towards altering these compensation conditions by lobbying Congress in the fall. The government's dilemma lies with the fact that the Navajo miners believe the quality of their work determines the reimbursement they collect.
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