title: What are the health costs of uranium mining? A case study of miners in Grants, New Mexico.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Uranium mining is associated with lung cancer and other health problems among miners. Health impacts are related with miner exposure to radon gas progeny.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study estimates the health costs of excess lung cancer mortality among uranium miners in the largest uranium-producing district in the USA, centered in Grants, New Mexico.
  
  
  METHODS
  Lung cancer mortality rates on miners were used to estimate excess mortality and years of life lost (YLL) among the miner population in Grants from 1955 to 2005. A cost analysis was performed to estimate direct (medical) and indirect (premature mortality) health costs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total health costs ranged from $2·2 million to $7·7 million per excess death. This amounts to between $22·4 million and $165·8 million in annual health costs over the 1955-1990 mining period. Annual exposure-related lung cancer mortality was estimated at 2185·4 miners per 100 000, with a range of 1419·8-2974·3 per 100 000.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Given renewed interest in uranium worldwide, results suggest a re-evaluation of radon exposure standards and inclusion of miner long-term health into mining planning decisions.
authors.forename: Benjamin A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000191:economics / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008906:Mining / Q000191:economics*; D009516:New Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000191:economics* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D011886:Radon / Q000009:adverse effects; D014501:Uranium / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D014501:Uranium; D011886:Radon
keywords: Cost analysis,; Grants,; Health costs,; Miner health,; Occupational hazard; Radon exposure,; Uranium,