Health effects of uranium mining and milling for commercial nuclear power

Radiological health effects potentially associated with uranium mining and milling have been estimated on both a regional and continental basis. Estimates of radon releases from mining were taken from testimony presented in licensing hearings during 1978. Estimates of the health effects from milling were derived from a draft NRC document titled Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement on Uranium Milling. Health effects per annual fuel requirement (AFR) were presented on both a cumulative and continuous basis. In general, potential health effects to the general public because of both the mining and milling of one AFR are a very small fraction of the health effects caused by background radiation, on either a cumulative basis or a continuous basis. On a cumulative basis (from 1978 to the year 3000), potential health effects due to milling are about an order of magnitude less than those due to mining