Church Rock Uranium Mill, Mexico

The old factory specializing in uranium enrichment is situated in the Church Rock, US. This plant became known after an accident, as a result of which several tons of a solid radioactive waste were thrown into the atmosphere. The water of the Puerco River was polluted and that greatly expanded the affected zone. The radiation level in the area of ​​the accident is 7 000 times higher than normal. The recent large-scale studies of the river was held in 2003. They showed that the water is still polluted.

An accident at the factory in Church Rock took place in 1979. In the first day, the contamination spread to more than 100 km. The principal, who suffered from the accident, became the indigenous people - the Navajo tribe. For hundreds of years, they used the water from the river to irrigate the land and care for a livestock. Indians didn’t know about the danger of the pollution immediately. The terrible event hasn’t gained wide publicity. Only years later, contaminated river banks were declared a disaster area.

The accident turned into a terrible tragedy for indigenous people. Unaware of the danger, they continued to swim in the river and water their livestock. In a matter of days, they lost almost all the flock, and dozens of people with different burns were taken to hospital. In total, there were about 1 700 people that have lived at the banks of the Puerco River in days of an accident. In a matter of minutes, they completely lost an access to the clean drinking water. No large epidemiological studies have been taking place in polluted areas. Only in 2008, the first steps for cleaning contaminated rivers and land were taken. To the beginning - Fukushima Daini Nuclear Plant