Miners Raise Questions About Radiation Levels

Miners Raise Questions About Radiation Levels

Tuesday, May 18, 2004 at 13:05

Cameco says none of its workers at the McArthur River uranium mine were exposed to unsafe levels of radiation during last year’s flooding incident.

A mine worker has told CBC Radio that during the first 48 hours after the flooding of the underground mine started, workers were not given respirators despite the fact a radon alarm was red.

Cameco spokesman Lyle Krahn admits some workers were exposed to 50 per cent more radiation by the end of the year compared to an average year, but says those increased levels were still less than a third of the radiation exposure that’s allowed by federal regulators.

Krahn also says they sent workers back into the flooded mine without respirators only after monitoring of radiation levels determined it was safe.

Krahn says federal regulators were updated at every stage of the clean-up effort and gave each stage their approval.