Native American Miners Exposed to Radiation Are Being Denied Workers Compensation

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For dozens of years, the Colorado Plateau has used American Indian workers in its mines. In order to obtain the soft, yellow uranium ore present, they must operate a drill that plunges deep into the rock. This same uranium which was mined by countless American Indian workers was used inside of nuclear weapons, which were responsible for America's eventual victory during the Cold War.

Meanwhile, these American Indian miners have themselves become casualties of the Cold War as a result of their work. Cancer and other ailments that can be blamed on radiation exposure have killed, or are killing many of the miners today. Survivors are literally fighting for their lives after losing family members to complications of the radiation exposure.

Most the the workers who are still alive need to undergo regular dialysis treatment, and have arms covered with scars. Such dialysis is required to keep miners who suffer from kidney failure alive. Research has proven that the drinking water found in the mines is contaminated with radioactive deposits, the source to which many of the workers attribute their illnesses.

In 1980, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act was passed by Congress. This law recognized the dangers that were faced by uranium miners, and was designed to help those who have suffered and continue to suffer due to the work they performed. Keep in mind that most of this work was entirely in the service of the United State's nuclear weapons program.

The Act states that each underground uranium miner may receive up to $100,000. They must meet the condition that they suffer from a specific variety of lung ailments that have been associated with exposure to radiation. Sadly, while hundreds of Indian miners have not seen a penny, even though the are entitled to it.

The compensation law sets up nearly impossible hurdles for Indian miners. The first step is the most difficult and requires them to fill out paperwork written in English. However, many of the Indian miners are illiterate in English and find the forms confusing.

At the Office of Navajo Uranium Workers, only 96 of the 242 Navajo miners who applied for compensation have received approval from the program. 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.

The applications require documentation in the form of check stubs and other paperwork that shows how much time a miner spent working. But many of those who have worked the mines, even for many years, didn't 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.

The Navajo Indian Reservation saw its first uranium mines around 1947. 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.

One of the biggest dangers in the mines is radon. A by-product of decaying uranium, radon is odorless, colorless radioactive gas. Exposure to radon is believed to be a cause of most of the lung ailments that make miners eligible for government compensation.

Tribal officials and former miners plan to lobby Congress this fall for changes in the compensation law making it easier for former miners to get payments. The hardest problem for the government will be telling the Navajo miners that the compensation is not based solely on the work they've done.

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