NPR

Uranium Ore Stored At Grand Canyon Park Museum Unlikely To Have Been Dangerous

A safety director issued a public warning that buckets of ore may have exposed employees and tourists to unsafe radiation. But being near natural uranium ore is unlikely to cause an unsafe dose.
The safety director at Grand Canyon National Park says people may have been exposed to radiation from three buckets of uranium ore that sat for years in a museum collection building. Whether the amount of exposure was unsafe has not been determined.

For many years, three buckets full of uranium ore sat in a museum building at Grand Canyon National Park. Tours often visited the museum collection building, with children on tours sitting next to the buckets for a half-hour.

Recently, the park's safety, health and wellness manager, Elston "Swede" Stephenson, sent out an email to National Park Service employees and approached the to warn that people in the building were "exposed" to radiation.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR4 min read
Does Mining For Batteries Erase The Climate Benefits Of EVs? No, And Here's Why
NPR listeners wrote to ask whether the environmental harm from building EVs "cancels out" the cars' climate benefits. Experts say the answer is clear.
NPR2 min read
Biden Warns He'll Halt Israel Weapons Shipments; The Kendrick And Drake Beef Explained
Biden says he will halt additional weapons shipments to Israel if it proceeds with a major ground offensive in Rafah. NPR music editor Sheldon Pearce breaks down the Kendrick Lamar/Drake beef.
NPR3 min readCrime & Violence
Nigeria Has Detained A Journalist Who Reported On Corruption In A Widening Crackdown
Investigative journalist Daniel Ojukwu has been arrested by police and held without charge for over a week, drawing criticism from advocacy groups over a worsening climate for independent journalism.

Related Books & Audiobooks