312:
165:
and bodies of water. The danger posed by such sand dispersal is uncertain at best given the dilution effect of dispersal. The majority of tailing mass will be inert rock, just as it was in the raw ore before the extraction of the uranium, but physically altered, ground up, mixed with large amounts of
101:
sludge, called "uranium tailings", is stored in huge impoundments. A short ton (907 kg) of ore yields one to five pounds (0.45 to 2.3 kg) of uranium depending on the uranium content of the mineral. Uranium tailings can retain up to 85% of the ore's original radioactivity.
69:
Uranium mill tailings are primarily the sandy process waste material from a conventional uranium mill. Milling is the first step in making fuel for nuclear reactors from natural uranium ore. The uranium extract is transformed into
169:
An EPA estimate of risk based on uranium tailings deposits existing in the United States in 1983 gave the figure of 500 lung cancer deaths per century if no countermeasures are taken.
353:
183:
387:
158:
gas is produced. Tailings are kept in piles for long-term storage or disposal and need to be maintained and monitored for leaks over the long term.
139:
122:. Uranium tailings contain over a dozen radioactive nuclides, which are the primary hazard posed by the tailings. The most important of these are
161:
If uranium tailings are stored aboveground and allowed to dry out, the radioactive sand can be carried great distances by the wind, entering the
266:
382:
346:
339:
61:
chain, and heavy metals. Long-term storage or disposal of tailings may pose a danger for public health and safety.
372:
271:
The
Workbook, Vol. IV, issue=6–7; Southwest Research & Information Center, Nov/Dec 1979 (archived, 2.8 MB)
222:
377:
178:
135:
123:
250:
127:
50:
319:
131:
38:
323:
94:
166:
water and exposed to atmospheric oxygen, which can substantially alter chemical behaviour.
239:
The
Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978 and NRC's Agreement State Program
46:
366:
111:
86:
17:
282:
119:
115:
98:
78:
58:
54:
205:
162:
71:
42:
311:
254:
82:
151:
81:
is brought to the surface and crushed into a fine sand. The valuable
155:
134:(radon gas) and the daughter isotopes of radon decay, including
90:
53:. They contain the radioactive decay products from the uranium
154:. Radium then decays over thousands of years and radioactive
327:
285:Uranium Mining and Milling Wastes: An Introduction
218:
216:
201:
199:
150:Tailings contain heavy metals and radioactive
347:
8:
184:Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act
354:
340:
140:naturally occurring radioactive materials
195:
85:-bearing minerals are then removed via
224:Backgrounder on Uranium Mill Tailings.
268:Uranium Mining and Milling: A Primer.
7:
308:
306:
326:. You can help Knowledge (XXG) by
25:
388:Nuclear and atomic physics stubs
310:
1:
210:U.S.NRC, update 12 March 2020
110:The tailings contain mainly
237:Grammer, Elisa J. (1981), "
227:U.S.NRC, update 21 Sep 2020
404:
305:
243:Natural Resources Lawyer
383:Nuclear chemistry stubs
322:–related article is a
207:Uranium Mill Tailings.
27:Mining waste byproduct
179:List of uranium mines
18:Uranium mill tailings
97:, and the remaining
138:. All of those are
51:uranium enrichment
45:) of conventional
373:Radioactive waste
335:
334:
39:radioactive waste
16:(Redirected from
395:
356:
349:
342:
314:
307:
297:
296:
294:
293:
278:
272:
264:
258:
257:
234:
228:
220:
211:
203:
89:with the use of
31:Uranium tailings
21:
403:
402:
398:
397:
396:
394:
393:
392:
363:
362:
361:
360:
303:
301:
300:
291:
289:
280:
279:
275:
265:
261:
236:
235:
231:
221:
214:
204:
197:
192:
175:
148:
108:
67:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
401:
399:
391:
390:
385:
380:
378:Uranium mining
375:
365:
364:
359:
358:
351:
344:
336:
333:
332:
315:
299:
298:
273:
259:
249:(3): 469–522,
229:
212:
194:
193:
191:
188:
187:
186:
181:
174:
171:
147:
144:
112:decay products
107:
104:
66:
63:
47:uranium mining
26:
24:
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
400:
389:
386:
384:
381:
379:
376:
374:
371:
370:
368:
357:
352:
350:
345:
343:
338:
337:
331:
329:
325:
321:
320:radioactivity
316:
313:
309:
304:
288:
286:
281:Peter Diehl.
277:
274:
270:
269:
263:
260:
256:
252:
248:
244:
240:
233:
230:
226:
225:
219:
217:
213:
209:
208:
202:
200:
196:
189:
185:
182:
180:
177:
176:
172:
170:
167:
164:
159:
157:
153:
145:
143:
141:
137:
133:
129:
125:
121:
117:
113:
105:
103:
100:
96:
92:
88:
87:heap leaching
84:
80:
75:
73:
64:
62:
60:
57:, mainly the
56:
52:
48:
44:
40:
36:
35:uranium tails
32:
19:
328:expanding it
317:
302:
290:. Retrieved
284:
276:
267:
262:
246:
242:
238:
232:
223:
206:
168:
160:
149:
146:Health risks
136:polonium-210
109:
76:
68:
55:decay chains
34:
30:
29:
142:or "NORM".
124:thorium-230
120:Uranium-238
116:decay chain
106:Composition
99:radioactive
79:uranium ore
41:byproduct (
367:Categories
292:2009-10-02
190:References
163:food chain
128:radium-226
118:involving
72:yellowcake
65:Production
132:radon-222
114:from the
255:40922651
173:See also
77:The raw
43:tailings
83:uranium
253:
152:radium
37:are a
318:This
251:JSTOR
156:radon
95:bases
91:acids
59:U-238
324:stub
49:and
241:",
93:or
33:or
369::
247:13
245:,
215:^
198:^
130:,
126:,
74:.
355:e
348:t
341:v
330:.
295:.
287:"
283:"
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.