Idaho Wildfire Burning Through Four Uranium Mines

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.

Click here to read the full Reuters report.