What happened to Mailuu-Suu Kyrgyzstan?

In April 1958, as a result of rainfall and high seismic activity, an alluvial dam collapsed into tailings pit #7 in Mailuu-Suu, pushing more than 400,000 cubic metres of radioactive waste into the Mailuu-Suu river, which then spread 30-40 kilometers downstream in irrigated farmland in Uzbekistan.

Why is mailuu-Suu Kyrgyzstan radioactive?

Uranium mills A breached tailings dam in April 1958 released 600,000 cubic metres (21,000,000 cu ft) of radioactive tailings into the Mailuu-Suu River. In 1994, a landslide blocked the river, which flowed over its banks and flooded another waste reservoir.

Where can you mine uranium?

World Uranium Mining Production

Is it illegal to mine uranium?

There is no federal law that specifically applies to uranium mining on non-federally owned lands; state laws and regulations have jurisdiction over these mining activities.

How much do uranium miners get paid?

Uranium Mining Salary

Who controls the world’s uranium?

Kazatomprom, a state-owned entity, controls the uranium industry in the country through its own subsidiaries or via joint ventures with foreign companies. One such partner is Cameco Corp (NYSE:CCJ), the world’s largest pure-play, publicly traded uranium miner.

How many died from uranium mining?

We found strong evidence for an increased risk for lung cancer in white uranium miners. We expected about 64 deaths, but found 371. This means we found about 6 times more lung cancer deaths than expected. There was an exposure-response relationship with exposure to radon daughters in the mines.

What does uranium feel like?

Uranium is a hard, dense, malleable, ductile, silver-white, radioactive metal. Uranium metal has very high density. When finely divided, it can react with cold water. In air it is coated by uranium oxide, tarnishing rapidly.

Which country is rich in uranium?

World Nuclear Association (2018)

Which country has most thorium?

Australia has the highest thorium resources with 489,000 tons followed by the US with 400,000 tons, Turkey with 344,000 tons and India with 319,000 tons. The remaining resources are found in countries like Venezuela, Brazil, Norway, Egypt, Russia, among others.

How big is the town of Mailuu Suu?

/  41.26000°N 72.44972°E  / 41.26000; 72.44972 Mailuusuu ( Kyrgyz: Майлуусуу) is a mining town in Jalal-Abad Region of southern Kyrgyzstan. Its area is 120 square kilometres (46 sq mi), and its resident population was 22,853 in 2009. It has been economically depressed since the fall of the Soviet Union.

What did Mailuu Suu do for the Soviet Union?

From 1946 to 1968 the Zapadnyi Mining and Chemical Combine in Mailuu-Suu mined and processed more than 10,000 short tons (9,100 t) of uranium ore for the Soviet nuclear program. Uranium mining and processing is no longer economical, leaving much of the local population of about 20,000 without meaningful work.

Where is Mailuu Suu mining town in Kyrgyzstan?

Mailuusuu (Kyrgyz: Майлуусуу) is a mining town in Jalal-Abad Region of southern Kyrgyzstan.

What was the cause of the flood at Mailuu Suu?

A flood caused by a mudslide nearly submerged a tailings pit in 2002. Mailuu-Suu was found to be one of the 10 most polluted sites in the world in a study published in 2006 by the Blacksmith Institute.