1 Joshua McCubbin 05 May 2023 ANTH 1100-01 How the Storage of Nuclear Waste Negatively Affected Navajo Native Americans and Navajo Native Reservations When the United States began the nuclear age in the 1940s, it brought with it not only the destructive power of nuclear weapons but also the potential for incredible new medicines and energy sources. This new development of nuclear technology led scientists to create new treatments such as radiation therapy for cancer patients, which has saved countless lives. Additionally, the military was making massive advancements in nuclear weaponry because of World War II. They were able to harness the destructive power of the atomic bomb and its successor, the nuclear warhead. Finally, the development of nuclear energy allowed for electricity generation without fossil fuels, which is a more sustainable and environmentally friendly energy source. Nuclear energy, however, creates substantial amounts of radioactive waste that at the time the government did not know how to deal with. The way the radioactive waste was stored was extremely dangerous and caused many problems. This paper explores how radioactive waste is generated and stored and the effects the incorrect storage had on those around it. Firstly, according to the Anthropology textbook by Scupin, R. & DeCorse, C. R., Native American reservations are unique political entities that operate within the framework of the federal government. The federal government recognizes tribes as sovereign nations and has established a trust relationship with them, which grants tribes certain rights and protections. These rights include the ability to self-govern and maintain cultural practices, as well as access to federal resources and funding. Despite this trust relationship, however, the federal government has a long history of violating Native American rights, including land theft, forced assimilation, and neglect of treaty obligations. As a result, many Native American reservations continue to face significant challenges in areas such as poverty, healthcare, and education. Nevertheless, the federal government and Native American tribes continue to work together to address these issues and improve the quality of life for Native American communities (Scupin, R. & DeCorse, C. R., 2019, pp. 481-483). Radioactive or nuclear waste can be generated in many ways. There is low-level waste, items such as irradiated or radioactively contaminated protective clothing, tools filters, rags, medical devices, and many other items (USEPA, 2018). These are handled at specifically designed disposal facilities (Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 2020); (USEPA, 2018). There is uranium or mill tailings which are radioactive wastes that remain after the mining and milling of uranium or thorium ore (USEPA, 2018). Tailings are stored in specialized containers called impoundments housed on site (Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 2020); (USEPA, 2018). Lastly there is high-level waste which comes from spent nuclear fuel. Most high-level waste has been stored on-site at reactors because there is no main storage facility in the United States (Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 2020); (USEPA, 2018). Beginning in the late 1940s, a time where uranium production was at a very high rate, the United States government started to use Native American reservations as dumping grounds for 2 nuclear and radioactive waste (Moore-Nall, 2015, pp. 2-4). As the government began to need sites for storage, the native tribes across the country saw an opportunity to bring jobs and money to their reservations as many of them had largely been living in poverty (Skibine, A., 2001, pp.57). The federal government accepted these offers from the tribes and began to make dumping grounds and waste sites on their lands (Skibine, A., 2001, pp.5-7). They hired native workers and funded projects to make these waste sites, but they did not supply the workers with protective equipment, so they were completely unshielded from the harmful effects of the radiation they were working right next to (Moore-Nall, 2015, pp. 3-6). Many of these sites were dug and maintained by Navajo Native Americans. As a result, many Navajo miners were exposed to prominent levels of radiation and developed serious health problems, including lung cancer, kidney disease, and other illnesses (Moore-Nall, 2015, pp. 3-6). These people were exploited by the government for labor that they knew could be dangerous and yet nothing was done to protect these people and their families. The impact of nuclear waste storage on the Navajo people was not limited to just the miners and workers. The government also stored nuclear waste on Navajo lands, often without proper containment or safety measures. This led to the contamination of the land and water of the reservations and levels of radiation exposure that can cause health problems for those living nearby (Skibine, A., 2001, pp.16). The Navajo people were not warned about the dangers of nuclear waste, and many continued to live on contaminated land and use contaminated water sources. The impact of nuclear waste storage on the Navajo people has been devastating, and the effects continue to be felt today. The Navajo people are still dealing with the health consequences of exposure to radiation, as well as the loss of their land and natural resources (Kautsky et al., 2016, pp. 5-9). In recent years, there has been a growing movement to address the damage caused by nuclear waste storage on Native American reservations (Kautsky et al., 2016, pp. 7). This includes efforts to clean up contaminated sites, provide healthcare and compensation for affected individuals, and involve Native American communities in the decision-making process around nuclear waste storage and disposal. The reason for all of this though is because there is no storage facility for radioactive waste in the United States (USEPA, 2018). For the past eight or so decades there has been a complete impasse within the federal government on what to do with radioactive waste. There have been countless proposals with none being successfully signed into law. This is because Congress cannot decide where they want to put the nuclear waste. The strongest proposal and the one that brought a lot of attention to the subject is the Yucca Mountain that is safely away from any sort of population center and is a reasonable place to store America’s tens of thousands of pounds of radioactive waste (Skibine, A., 2001, pp. 9-15); (USEPA, 2018). There has not been any sort of action to make Yucca Mountain into a storage facility and unfortunately it does not look like there will be any soon. In conclusion, the early storage of nuclear and radioactive waste on Native American reservations had a profound impact on the Navajo people, particularly the miners who were exposed to prominent levels of radiation. This practice also led to contamination of the land and water and continues to cause health problems and land problems for the Navajo people. While efforts are being made to address the damage caused by nuclear waste storage on Native American reservations, much work remains to be done to ensure that the Navajo people are fully 3 compensated and that their land and natural resources are protected. It is important that the United States government acknowledges the harm that has been done and takes steps to ensure that such practices are never repeated. It is also important that something be done about the storage of nuclear waste and the issues it has caused with where it can be stored. Something must be done not only to safely store this dangerous radioactive waste but to also protect those who are undeservedly hurt by this. 4 References Kautsky, U., Saetre, P., Berglund, S., Jaeschke, B., Norde, n, S., Brandefelt, J., Keesmann, S., Na¨slund, J.-O., & Andersson, E. (2016). The impact of low and intermediate-level radioactive waste on humans and the environment over the next one hundred thousand years. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 151, 395–403. https://doiorg.libpublic3.library.isu.edu/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2015.06.025 Moore-Nall, A. L. (2015). The legacy of uranium development on or near Indian reservations and health implications rekindling public awareness. Geosciences (Basel), 5, 15–29. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences5010015 Nuclear Regulatory Commission. (2020, June 5). NRC: Radioactive Waste. Www.nrc.gov. https://www.nrc.gov/waste.html Office, U. S. G. A. (n.d.). Nuclear waste disposal. Www.gao.gov. https://www.gao.gov/nuclearwaste-disposal Scupin, R., & DeCorse, C. R. (2019). Anthropology (p. 589). SAGE Publications. Skibine, A. (2001). High level nuclear waste on Indian reservations: pushing the tribal sovereignty envelope to the edge. Journal of Land, Resources, & Environmental Law, 21(2A), 287-316. https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/lrel21&div=14 USEPA. (2018, November 28). Radioactive waste. Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/radtown/radioactive-waste
