Uranium scare forces shutdown

Twenty miners reported illness following exposure to uranium-contaminated water while showering at the Ranger mine, 220 km east of Darwin in Australia’s Northern Territory.

Investigations are under way, and the mine’s processing plant has been shut down while scientists test the water supplies. Initial tests reveal water-in-uranium levels of more than 400 times the drinking water limit.

Non-essential staff were sent home from the mine, which is adjacent to Kakadu National Park.

The Ranger mine is owned by Energy Resources Australia, a subsidiary of London-based Rio Tinto.

This is not the first time drinking water at the mine has been found to have high levels of radioactivity. The mine has created roughly 16 million tonnes of radioactive tailings, and because of heavy rainfall in the region, radioactive water sometimes enters the water system.