RSS FeedsBlighted Homeland
 Elsie Begay believes a contaminated hogan like this one caused her sons' deaths at ages 25 and 38.
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PART I
During the Cold War, uranium mines left contaminated waste
scattered around the Navajo Nation. Homes built with it silently pulsed with radiation. People developed cancer. And the U.S. did little to help.
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Photo Gallery: Toxic Houses|
PART II
Rain-filled uranium pits provided drinking water for people and animals. Then, a mysterious wasting illness emerged.
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PART III
Through a federal program, decontamination seemed possible. But delays and disputes thwarted the effort.
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PART IV
Demand for uranium is soaring. But the tribe vows a 'knockdown, drag-out legal battle.'
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ABOUT THIS SERIES
From 1944 to 1986, 3.9 million tons of uranium ore were dug and blasted from Navajo soil, nearly all of it for America's atomic arsenal. Navajos inhaled radioactive dust, drank contaminated water and built homes using rock from the mines and mills. Many of the dangers persist to this day. This four-part series examines the legacy of uranium mining on the Navajo reservation.
NOVEMBER 19: Unaware of the danger
NOVEMBER 20: Toxic water
NOVEMBER 21: Botched cleanup
NOVEMBER 22: New technology
UPDATES TO THE SERIES