The failures at Homestake are emblematic of the toxic legacy of the American uranium industry, one that has been well-documented from its boom during the Cold War until falling uranium prices and concerns over the dangers of nuclear power decimated the industry in the 1980s. The contamination continued to spread even after the mill closed in 1990. State and federal regulators knew the mill was polluting groundwater almost immediately after it started operating, but years passed before they informed residents and demanded fixes. The waste it left behind leaked uranium and selenium into groundwater and released the cancer-causing gas radon into the air. Here's Howīeginning in 1958, a uranium mill owned by Homestake Mining Company of California processed and refined ore mined nearby.
To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist.
