Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1AC/2AC add-on
Replace Pages 7, 8, and 9 of the 1AC (Yim 06, Kidd 08, Bosselman 07) with this card:
And any of the cards that follow about how super bad uranium mining/open pit mining is
for the environment.
WNDI 2008 3
Nuclear Power Aff Addendum
Most uranium ore is mined in open pit or underground mines. The uranium content of the ore is often between only
0.1% and 0.2%. Therefore, large amounts of ore have to be mined to get at the uranium. In the early years up until
the 1960's uranium was predominantly mined in open pit mines from ore deposits located near the surface. (image
(50k) new window: Ranger open pit mine, Australia) (image (32k) new window: Lodève open pit mine, France)
(image (57k) external link new window: Midnite Mine, WA, USA - AESE) (image (36k) external link new window:
Sweetwater open pit mine, Wyoming, USA - WMA) Later, mining was continued in underground mines. After the
decrease of uranium prices since the 1980's on the world market, underground mines became too expensive for most
deposits; therefore, many mines were shut down. New uranium deposits discovered in Canada have uranium grades
of several percent. To keep groundwater out of the mine during operation, large amounts of contaminated water are
pumped out and released to rivers and lakes. When the pumps are shut down after closure of the mine, there is a risk
of groundwater contamination from the rising water level.
Mining methods have been changing. In 1990, 55% of world production came from underground mines, but this
shrunk dramatically to 1999, with 33% then. From 2000 the new Canadian mines increase it again, and with
Olympic Dam it is now around half. In situ leach mining has been steadily increasing its hare of the total. In 2007
production was as follows: conventional underground & open pit 62% in situ leach (ISL) 29% by-product 10%
(considering Olympic Dam as by-product rather than in underground category) In the 1990s the uranium production
industry was consolidated by takeovers, mergers and closures. In 2007, seven companies marketed 85% of the
world's uranium mine production:
WNDI 2008 4
Nuclear Power Aff Addendum
transition between waste rock and ore depends on technical and economic feasility. All these piles threaten people
and the environment after shut down of the mine due to their release of radon gas and seepage water containing
radioactive and toxic materials. (image (36k): new window The waste rock "pyramids" of Ronneburg, Germany)
Waste rock was often processed into gravel or cement and used for road and railroad construction. VEB
Hartsteinwerke Oelsnitz in Saxony has processed 200,000 tonnes of material per year into gravel containing 50 g/t
uranium. Thus, gravel containing elevated levels of radioactivity were dispersed over large areas.