Native American Miners Should Receive Workers' Compensation

For decades, Native American miners have worked the mines of the Colorado Plateau. Their job was to with drill deep into the rock and mine out soft uranium ore. This uranium was used in the nuclear warheads that the US deployed around the country and that eventually helped win the Cold War.

Meanwhile, these American Indian miners have themselves become casualties of the Cold War as a result of their work. Due to the high level of radiation present in these Colorado mines, many of the workers are suffering from cancer and other illnesses, or have already succumbed to the diseases. So many people have lost members of their families, and even many who survived are still fighting for their lives.

The majority of these workers have arms that are covered with scars from being on dialysis treatments. The dialysis is the only available treatment for those who suffer from kidney failure. Tests for water contamination have found the presence of radioactive minerals in the drinking water given to the miners, which many now blame for their ailments.

In 1980, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act was passed by Congress. The goal in passing this law was to assist uranium miners who are suffering as a result of exposure to radiation while they worked the mines. The reason these miners are being compensated by taxpayers is that the work they did was solely to assist the American military's nuclear weapons division.

The law provides $100,000 to each underground uranium miner. It's required that the miner be victim to one of six lung diseases linked to radiation exposure in order to receive compensation. There are hundreds of eligible miners, however, who have not received a single penny of compensation provided by this Act.

The bill that was passed presents the miners with a range of obstacles to overcome. Application by completion of difficult forms is the first requirement and must be completed in English before submission. Written English is not a strength with these American Indian miners.

Of the 242 miners who have applied for compensation through the Office of Navajo Uranium Workers, only 96 have been approved. Overall 1,314 former uranium mines claims have been approved by the Justice Department. Another 1,316 miners' applications have been denied.

Another problem for many miners is that the government requires proof of constant exposure in the form of check stubs or similar documentation. Those types of records are seldom kept by the miners who have been working in the mines for decades. 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. Jobs were needed in the area, so the mines were welcomed by the community. Despite the poor working conditions and low wages.

Radon in the mines was one of the worst dangers. Decaying uranium produces this odor and color free radioactive gas. Experts believe that it is this exposure to radon that leads to many of the lung problems that the government has placed on the compensation list.

In the hope of making changes to the law from 1990 and to make it easier for eligible miners to receive compensation for their ailments, tribal officers and afflicted miners plan to lobby Congress later this year. Many Navajo miners think that compensation is due based simply on their having worked the mines; this is another problem with the Act being misunderstood and needs clarification.

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