A new study has shown that workers who mined uranium ore in one of Africa’s largest mines for the US and British governments to build nuclear bombs are dying of cancer and unexplained illnesses.
The study which has been obtained by the Guardian and is expected to be published this week shows that workers at the Rössing Uranium Mine in Namibia are now suffering from lung infections and unknown illnesses which are believed to be linked to their work.
“The older workers all said they know miners dying of cancers and other illnesses. Many of these are now retired and many have already died of cancers,” the report said.
The workers dug raw materials for US and British nuclear arms and power plants during the 1970s. According to the Guardian, the mine, which produces 7 percent of the world’s uranium, was at the time operated with a migrant labor system which was similar to slavery. Black workers had to live on the mine premises and were exposed to dust and radiation.
The US is the only country in the world that has used atomic bombs in war. US atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in August 1945.
Washington is thought to have as many as 2,650 non-deployed warheads, plus about 3,000 waiting to be dismantled, according to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.
In October last year, US Secretary of State John Kerry emphasized that nuclear weapons form an important part of Washington’s defense doctrine.
“It ensures that a strong nuclear deterrent remains the cornerstone of US national security and that of our allies and our partners,” he said during a speech at the US Institute of Peace in Washington.
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