The Conversation (0)
Reuters reported an Idaho wildfire has burned through three former mining sites with traces of radioactive uranium and thorium and is currently burning through a fourth site.
Reuters reported an Idaho wildfire has burned through three former mining sites with traces of radioactive uranium and thorium and is currently burning through a fourth site.
As quoted in the market news:
As a precaution, state environmental authorities planned to take air samples in North Fork, a small community in the fire zone north of Salmon, to assess any radioactive hazards posed by fire damage to the sites.
One area of concern is a defunct uranium mine and milling operation 5 miles west of North Fork, where the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency conducted a cleanup several years ago of polluted soil, hazardous wastes and piles of raw uranium and thorium ore.