Why Patriotic American Indian Miners Deserve To Receive Compensation
For decades, Native American miners have worked the mines of the Colorado Plateau
. These miners were drilling for a powdery yellow ore that we've all heard of - uranium. This uranium, mined by thousands of Native Americans over the years, became a part of the nuclear warheads that won America the Cold War.But the Cold War has now claimed many of these miners as casualties. Because of their prolonged exposure to radiation in the mines, they are dying from cancer and other ailments. Many more continue to fight for their lives even as their family members and friends have already died from work related illnesses.
Dialysis treatments have left many of the workers with vicious scars on their arms. This is the required treatment by the many workers who suffer from kidney failure. The majority of workers blamed the drinking water that was in the mines, and traces of radioactive minerals in it have been proven scientifically.
In 1990, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act was ratified by Congress. This law was created by the government to assist uranium miners and those who were affected directly by the uranium mining work that occurred during that time. The fact is that the majority of this work was simply done to advance the country's 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. Countless miners of American Indian descent still have not been compensated, despite being eligible.
The bill that was passed presents the miners with a range of obstacles to overcome. First, the paperwork must be filled out in English. The problem for these Indian miners is the fact many of them do not understand English that well.
Only 96 of the 242 miners who have gone before the Office of Navajo Uranium Workers to make a claim have received the payment due. A total of 1,314 claims from uranium workers have been approved by the Justice Department. This is less than half of all claims that have been filed.
In order to establish how much time the miner labored in the mines, Congress demands check stubs and other documents in order for the miners to prove their claims. Most people don't hang onto check stubs for several decades and the miners are no different. Obtaining copies from those in charge of the mines is also difficult.
The first uranium mines opened in 1947, on land that was part of or close to the Navajo Indian Reservation. During this period, the Navajo were glad to see an opportunity for employment. People were happy to have the work despite the low wages and harsh conditions.
At that time radon was one of the greatest dangers in those mines. Radon is a product of decaying uranium and is difficult to detect because it is colorless and odorless. A majority of the lung issues that have affected these miners was likely cause my exposure to radon, making them candidates for compensation from the government.
This fall tribal officials, former miners and their supporters will ask Congress to change the law so that former miners will not have such a difficult time applying for their compensation. However, the government is faced with a problem, as all Navajo miners believe that they are entitled to compensation solely on the basis of their work.
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