A bucket containing uranium ore emitting radiation to the museum was left for more than 10 years

by SCFiasco

The Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, USA has magnificent nature such as the Grand Canyon, a huge canyon made from erosion by the Colorado River, and it is also registered as a World Heritage Site. It turned out that a bucket containing radioactive material uranium used as a nuclear fuel was abandoned for many years in such a museum in the Grand Canyon National Park.

Grand Canyon looking into possible radiation exposure
https://www.apnews.com/bb1302bccf3d4d82b250c2f93b2ab6fe

Uranium Ore Stored At Grand Canyon Park Museum Unlikely To Have Been Dangerous: NPR
https://www.npr.org/2019/02/19/696001017/grand-canyon-museum-reportedly-had-buckets-of-uranium-sitting-around-for-18-year

This fact is complained that Elston Swede Stephenson, safety and health management manager at Grand Canyon National Park, "people in the museum were exposed to radiation" to Arizona Republic of national park employees and newspaper companies I got to light by sending an e - mail. There were three plastic buckets containing uranium ore in all, and general tourists visited the museum in some cases. According to Mr. Stephenson, the child was sitting near the bucket during the presentation of the museum.

It seems that the lid of the bucket was not closed, but it is not yet known whether the person who approached the uranium ore was in danger. It is hard to imagine that it was brought in an unsafe amount of radiation just because it was just in the vicinity of uranium ore, says Laurel Wamsley , a news media NPR writer.

Vanessa Lacayo, a spokesperson for a national park, said that he is currently conducting a survey on uranium ore left in the museum and will prepare a hotline for those worried about uranium ore radiation damage I am going to say that. Although the bucket with uranium ore was not placed on the tour course inside the museum, Mr. Lacayo said that someone passed by.

by Alex Pham

In the Grand Canyon, there has been a history that uranium ore has been mined for decades, and contamination by appropriately untreated radioactive waste was a problem. Today, new uranium mining around the Grand Canyon is prohibited, but many indigenous peoples were forcibly forced to migrate and polluted the living area.

Jani Ingram, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Northern Arizona , pointed out that although uranium ores are often used for research, they are usually sealed tightly in metal containers. "Whether health damage is caused by uranium ore will depend on the amount of radiation emitted by the ore and the time it has approached the ore," Children in the vicinity of uranium ore will become cancer within 5 years " We can not do things with anyone, "Ingram said, but it was no doubt that the uranium ore neglected was a matter of concern.

Mr. Stephenson sent an e-mail sent to employees of the Grand Canyon National Park on February 4, 2019, "People who went into the museum between 2000 and June 18, 2018 were exposed to radiation of uranium ore It may have been exposed to the warning. " The existence of uranium ore that was unknown to anyone was confirmed when employees' teenagers brought a Geiger counter to measure the radiation dose into the museum in March 2018 did.

The Geiger counter detected radiation from the collection room of the museum, and as a result of the investigation I found that the stone in the bucket was the source of radiation. Before being placed in the museum, the bucket was kept in the basement for decades.

by William Haun

According to Mr. Stephenson, in June 2018 a specialized technician arrived at the museum and carried a bucket containing uranium ore. The bucket was transported to an old uranium mine two miles away, and he threw away the ore and only the bucket was returned to the museum.

"My interest is the safety of employees and people," Stephenson accuses the National Park not being aware of the possibility of exposure to employees and tourists. Stephenson's opinion was not accepted by the national park side, eventually Stephenson said that he decided to reveal everything to newspaper etc.

by Josh Sorenson