The Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) has rejected allegations that its uranium mines and processing plants in Jharkhand’s Singhbhum region are causing illnesses, while announcing a fresh study to assess the health impact of its operations.
UCIL chairman-cum-managing director Kacham Anand Rao said during an interaction at Jadugora that diseases including skin conditions, cancer and congenital deformities attributed by local groups to uranium mining were instead linked to local conditions and the area’s backwardness. He said at least 10 scientific studies conducted by different organisations had found no connection between UCIL’s operations and the diseases reported in the region.
“Whatever skin disease or cancer is being attributed by some people is not due to uranium mines. They are because of local conditions and backwardness of the area,” Rao said, according to PTI.
The company operates seven uranium mines in Jharkhand: underground mines at Bagjata, Jaduguda, Bhatin, Narwapahar, Turamdih and Mohuldih, along with the open-pit mine at Banduhurang. The first uranium underground mine in India began operations at Jadugora in East Singhbhum in 1964, followed by an ore-processing plant in 1968.
Rao said the ore mined in the state was of very low grade, with only 200 to 300 grams of uranium extracted from each tonne of ore. He claimed that radiation levels in the area were lower than those found on sea beaches. After uranium is recovered at the mill, he said, most of the processed material remains as tailings with low radioactivity and levels below the applicable limit.
Local groups and social rights activists have for decades alleged that radiation from the mines and mills is affecting surrounding communities. Their concerns include reported cases of cancer, tuberculosis and congenital deformities. The dispute has continued around the mines, processing facilities and the management of mining waste, making health monitoring and independent evidence central to the public debate.
UCIL said it would shortly commission a fresh study because earlier studies were conducted around seven to eight years ago. Rao said the company wanted the new assessment to reassure local residents about the effects of its operations. He also acknowledged that identifying a competent agency would be difficult because few organisations have expertise in the field.
The company cited the experience of employees and residents of UCIL colonies located near its mines and mills. Sai Prasad, who has worked at the Narwapahar mine for 18 years, said neither he nor his family had experienced radiation-related or occupational disease. He said more than 700 people worked at the site and many had been employed in mining operations for over two decades without experiencing such an impact.
Rupai Mahali, an assistant superintendent in safety at the Turamdih Mill, also told PTI that he had worked there for 20 years without experiencing a health impact. A uranium mill crushes, grinds and chemically treats ore to extract uranium and produce a solid concentrate known as yellowcake.
Dr N K Setty, officer-in-charge of the health physics unit at the environmental survey laboratory under the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, said studies indicated that radiological conditions in the mines were safe. He said radiation doses received by occupational workers were well below the annual limit of 20 millisieverts and described the environmental impact of six decades of mining activity as insignificant.
The next significant step will be the commissioning of UCIL’s proposed fresh health-impact study. The company has not yet identified the agency that will conduct the assessment or announced a timeline for its completion.
