Australian union bans workers from nuclear facilities

"Fears of radiation exposure to uranium workers has led to the Electrical Trades Union in Brisbane, Australia, to ban members from working in uranium mines, nuclear power stations, and any part of the nuclear fuel cycle, according to a BBC report. Union leaders believe uranium exposure will replace asbestos as the high profile toxic workplace contaminant...the reasons stated for not allowing union workers in Australia be exposed to uranium recalls statements made by dying and ill workers in the United States who unknowingly made the ultimate sacrifice working at Cold War uranium diffusion and processing plants." More.

Whistleblower claims uranium workers exposed to unsafe radiation levels

A company whistleblower claims that mining giant BHP Billiton is risking the lives of employees at Olympic Dam mine in South Australia. Of particular concern is the radioisotope, polonium-210 which is leathal in very small doses, as small as the weight of a butterfly wing scale. Polonium-210 was used to murder Alexader Litvinenko, a Soviet intelligence operative, in 2006. Workers at Olympic Dam are exposed to polonium-210 because it is a decay product of uranium. The full story is in the June 4 issue of The Independent Weekly.