Church Rock is just the tip of the iceberg.
During World War II and Cold War, private companies opened more than 700 uranium mines on Navajo Nation, and now, more than 520 abandoned uranium mines are still waiting for clean-up.
Between 1944 and 1986, nearly 30 million tons of uranium ore were extracted from the Navajo Nation to create atomic weapons and make fuel for nuclear power plants. But after the closure of uranium mines, most of the mines were abandoned without cleaning them up.
CGTN’s XU Dezhi reports.
