Dr. Doug Brugge at Elks: Impact of uranium mining in Colorado, 12/6
[click "Play" to listen to Dr. Brugge's conversation with Susan]
A Three Mile Island in Colorado?
Probably nothing that Hollywood – or lethal.
Well, maybe not.
The infamous accident took place March 28, 1979, a partial core meltdown in a unit of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station in Pennsylvania. Three Mile Island crystallized anti-nuclear safety concerns and resulted in new regulations for the nuclear industry. According to Dr. Douglas M. Brugge, the nuclear release at Three Mile Island may explain why there is "public and policy interest in the high-technology, highly visible end of the nuclear cycle."
At the same time, he continues: "The environmental and health consequences of the early steps in the cycle – mining, milling, and processing of uranium ore – may be less appreciated."