Environmental Impacts of Uranium Mining and Exploration

Uranium mining and exploration can severely contaminate the environment, impacting water tables, well water, road dust, soil, and air quality. This process releases radon gas, a colorless, odorless, and highly carcinogenic substance that ranks as the second leading cause of lung cancer. On March 5, 2025, the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) issued a statement warning, “Uranium mining and exploration … pose grave risks. They release radon and radioactive toxic particles that can contaminate soil, water, crops, and wildlife. These contaminants can enter the food chain and jeopardize our drinking water supplies. Nova Scotia is the second most densely populated province in Canada. No matter where you live in the province, your health could be at risk.” 

Both traditional and modern uranium mining methods—whether open pit, underground, or in-situ—generate radioactive waste.  According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (January 29, 2025), “Regardless of how uranium is extracted from rock, the processes leave behind radioactive waste. These processes separate uranium from its decay products which are also radioactive and actually contain most (80-90%) of the radioactivity in the rock (ore). The solid radioactive wastes that are left over from the milling processes are called tailings and the liquid wastes are called raffinates. Mill tailings and raffinates are stored in specially designed ponds called impoundments. The tailings remain radioactive and contain hazardous chemicals from the recovery process.”

Regions that experience high precipitation levels, including rain, fog, and snow, face an increased risk of contamination and environmental harm from uranium mining. The Environmental Protection Agency’s TENORM report states, “water is perhaps the most significant means of dispersal of uranium and related [radioactive materials] in the environment from mines and mine wastes…Uranium is very soluble in acidic and alkaline waters and can be transported easily from a mine site.”