Workers Compensation Must Go To Native American Miners

American Indians have spent decades working in Colorado Plateau mines. Running a powerful drill that mined the uranium ore out of the hard rock. Nuclear warheads used in America's victory in the Cold War were loaded with the uranium mined from the earth by thousands of American Indian miners.

Unfortunately, many of the American Indian miners themselves because casualties of the same Cold War. 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. There have been many families who have lost people, and many who are still alive face a desperate struggle against sickness.

It's very common to find a miner whose arms are covered with scar tissue from the harsh dialysis treatment required to fight the effects of uranium exposure. The dialysis is necessary as many of the workers are already suffering with kidney failure. It was proven that the drinking water in the mines contained traces of radioactive minerals, and most of the workers blame the water for contributing to their health problems.

In 1990 the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act was passed by Congress. The purpose of which was to provide assistance to those suffering from uranium exposure received during the mining of uranium for the fight of the Cold War. One important element in this case is that a majority of this mining process was done exclusively to provide the US with nuclear weapons.

Each of the underground uranium miners were provided $100,000 by the law. The miner must experience one of six lung diseases caused by radiation exposure to be eligible for compensation. While hundreds of miners have met all of the preconditions necessary to begin receiving payments, most have yet to see a single dime.

The compensation law sets up nearly impossible hurdles for Indian miners. To begin with, the papers required to begin the compensation process must be filled out in English. The problem for these Indian miners is the fact many of them do not understand English that well.

The Office of Navajo Uranium Workers has submitted 242 applications to the US Government, and only 96 of these have successfully gone through. A total of 1,314 applications have been authorized by the Justice Department. Unfortunately, over 1300 applications for compensation have also been denied.

Check stubs in the form of a record of having work and other documentation are required to prove that a worker had spent so much time working in the mines. After decades of work in the mines, many applicants don't have documentation going back so far. In addition, it been shown that obtaining them through the authorities is also difficult.

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. People were happy to have the work despite the low wages and harsh conditions.

Radon is seen as one of the leading health hazards in the mines. Radon is created when uranium breaks down and decays, but because it is odorless and colorless, it is sometimes difficult to detect. Most of the lung ailments which make miners eligible for compensation are thought to be caused by exposure to radon.

In order to facilitate the process of receiving compensation for their injuries, past miners and tribal leaders plan to petition Congress for modification of the bill in the fall. Where the problems have developed for the government is the Navajo miners who expect to be compensated just because they worked in the mines.

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