American Indian Miners Deserve Workers Compensation

For decades, the mines deep under the Colorado Plateau has been worked by American Indians. This involves running a drill that gouged soft, yellow uranium ore out of the rock. The uranium that was mined was used to create nuclear warheads for the United States during the Cold War, a key factor in its victory. You will find that further information on workers compensation lawyers is on that site.

 

However, many of the miners themselves have become Cold War casualties. Because of the radiation present within the mines, many have either been killed, or are afflicted by cancer and similar illnesses. Many more continue to fight for their lives even as their family members and friends have already died from work related illnesses.

 

Many of the workers are plagued with scars on their arms, a telltale sign of the dialysis treatments they’ve had to endure over the years. This is the required treatment by the many workers who suffer from kidney failure. Most workers blame the drinking water in the mines which has been scientifically proven to contain traces of radioactive minerals.

 

In 1990, Congress attempted to repay these miners by passing the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. This act was designed to assist uranium miners that are enduring various health problems due to the work they performed in the radioactive mines. After all, these miners worked almost entirely on behalf of the American nuclear weapons program. Visit this site for further information on workers compensation lawyer melbourne.

 

Under the law, each eligible uranium miner is entitled to a $100,000 compensation. This was based on the condition that they were experiencing one of six possible lung diseases that are linked to being exposed to radiation. Hundreds of American Indian miners, who are eligible for this compensation, have not been paid.

 

The language of the compensation law creates a lot of difficult red tape for the miners to go through. First, the paperwork must be filled out in English. Native Americans do not all comprehend the English language well enough to fill out paperwork.

 

Of the 242 miners who have applied for compensation through the Office of Navajo Uranium Workers, only 96 have been approved. A total of 1,314 claims from uranium workers have been approved by the Justice Department. This is less than half of all claims that have been filed.

 

Another problem for many miners is that the government requires proof of constant exposure in the form of check stubs or similar documentation. Most of the workers who have been in the mines for decades don’t keep those kinds of records for their work. Copies of such records are difficult to obtain.

 

In 1947, the Navajo Indian Reservation first had mines opened on and around it. The jobs brought by the opening of the mines were a welcome event, at the time. People were happy to have the work despite the low wages and harsh conditions.

 

Radon emerged as one of the most significant dangers in the mines. Radon is created when uranium breaks down and decays, but because it is odorless and colorless, it is sometimes difficult to detect. Exposure to radon is believed to be a cause of most of the lung ailments that make miners eligible for government compensation.

 

This fall tribal officials, former miners and their supporters will ask Congress to change the law so that former miners will not have such a difficult time applying for their compensation. The government’s dilemma lies with the fact that the Navajo miners believe the quality of their work determines the reimbursement they collect.

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