Yesterday, the BBC World Service's Africa in Focus radio programme featured Greenpeace's findings of radioactive contamination on the streets of the villages close to AREVA's uranium mines in Niger. You can listen to it here…
AREVA have been uncharacteristically silent on this matter. As the radio presenter says at the end of the piece: `We tried to contact the uranium mining company AREVA for comments but they were not reachable.'
The company were certainly reachable when Greenpeace activists boarded the Happy Ranger en-route to Areva's OL3 nuclear reactor last month. AREVA were extremely quick in labelling the activists as `militants'. But when there's evidence that AREVA are putting people's health at risk in Niger? The company spin doctors are nowhere to be seen.
AREVA may be silent but voices in Niger are determined to be heard. Tomorrow, a peaceful march to protest against AREVA and its subsidiaries in Niger is being held by the people of Arlit where AREVA has a uranium mine.
Grateful Child says:
Hi Justin..., Great article, resource, and stellar Greenpeace action, ...thanks ever so much. Looking at the barren earth in the video, I can just imagine the radioactive dust inevidibly accumulating in their lungs and food. Considering the half life of U238, God knows what generations of birth defects and cancer their children will suffer for it in the future. I suppose the same story is being written in Australia with all the uranium mines there. I can only hope people are listening to you Justin...
Posted December 6, 2009 at 21:15 Flag abuse
Are you sure to report this comment as abuse?
Are you sure to remove this comment?
.
Blogs we like:
Greenpeace blogs: