How the US poisoned Navajo Nation
The biggest radioactive spill in US history.
As World War Two was ending, the growing nuclear arms race put the US in need of uranium. It turned to Navajo Nation, where the uranium mining industry thrived for four decades — but left disease, pollution and the biggest radioactive spill in US history.
That spill in Church Rock, New Mexico upended the lives of nearby residents, who had to grapple with toxic water, livestock and a lifetime of illnesses. Now, they are still waiting for it to be cleaned up.
Note: The headline for this piece has been updated.
Previous headline: The biggest radioactive spill in US history
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Learn more about the Church Rock spill and the impacts of uranium mining at the Southwest Research and Information Center: http://www.sric.org/uranium/rirf.php
Read the book by Doug Brugge, Timothy Benally, and Esther Yazzie-Lewis, The Navajo People and Uranium Mining: https://unmpress.com/books/navajo-people-and-uranium-mining/9780826337795
Read the book Yellow Dirt, by Judy Pasternak, on uranium mining in Navajo Nation: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Yellow-Dirt/Judy-Pasternak/9781416594833
Check out the documentary “The Return of Navajo Boy,” which looks at the uranium industry in Navajo Nation: http://navajoboy.com/watch/
Learn about the Red Water Pond Road Community Association and other local groups through the Multicultural Alliance for a Safe Environment: https://swuraniumimpacts.org/red-water-pond-road-community-association
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