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I live in a community called Tosla Kahn, Arizona, and it is in the northeast corner of the

Navajo Nation.

Renal dissociation is a member of the Navajo Nation.

They call themselves Dine.

When the first uranium ore was found, then we got a lot of prospectors that were coming

in and claiming different mind sites.

And so without really truly understanding the extent of damage that it could pose, the

mining started.

Thanks to the invention of atom bombs and nuclear energy, America was starving for uranium.

And the area around the Navajo Nation was rich with it. From 1944 to the late 80s,

hundreds of mines sprouted up and ultimately removed millions of tons of uranium ore.

And of course, this was really important to the community because it was close to home.

It provided jobs for miners and local dine citizens.

But we didn't really understand the dangers at that time.

And neither the US government nor the mine owners told them about those dangers, such as

an increased risk of cancer or kidney damage, even long after the dangers were clear.

So the miners breathed in radon, uranium dust and other contaminants without any protection.

My great grandfather worked in uranium mines.

He really had a lot of common health problems and symptoms that uranium miners typically

had.

And the uranium and other contaminants went beyond the mines.

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