Answer to Question #185 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Q

Children are playing on an abandoned uranium mine site and tailing site containing 150,000 metric tons. What risks are they taking and what should I do to warn them?

A

You later told me that you are speaking of the Miliken mine site in Canada. This mine site and tailings area are not "abandoned," but were closed/decomissioned under the Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB) regulation. The AECB Web site is http://www.aecb-ccea.gc.ca/. Radiation fields on the tailings will be higher than background, but the additional dose (risk) associated with the limited time spent by visitors to the riding facility will be a small fraction of the total dose received from all sources over a year. For a discussion on the risks from background radiation read "Radiation Risk in Perspective." Go to the Health Physics Society Web Site and click on the "HPS Publications" button and then click on the "HPS Papers" button. As to the dangers of radiation in general there are a number of articles on http://www.umich.edu/~radinfo/ that might be helpful. The tailings area is outside of town, so children playing there are likely to be adolescents. The rock dyke that retains the tailings might be attractive for climbing games, but as it is several meters high, the consequences of a fall would be serious. Children should be warned of the danger of climbing. Arthur Scott, CHP