Educational Media Reviews Online

This video tells the story of the 1940’s miners and transporters, especially indigenous people, involved in mining of uranium and associated minerals around Port Radium in the Northwest Territories of Canada. These mines supplied uranium for the U.S. Manhattan Project and the first atomic bombs. Through a series of interviews and a few statistics, significant concerns about the high levels of cancer among these workers are raised. Unfortunately, as the film notes, there are a number of confounding factors that make it extremely difficult to develop a rigorous scientific evaluation of these health effects. These factors include the original secrecy of the war project, the Canadian government’s reluctant to investigate the alleged problems, the many decades that have passed since the mining activity, little understanding of the cumulative effects of radiation including radon gas, and a significant rate of alcoholism and smoking among the worker population. In addition, there was no radiation monitoring and minimal data on ore concentrations making exposure assessments almost impossible. The Canadian government comes in for especially heavy criticism. As reported in the documentary, the Canadian government has never acknowledged the uranium mining activities as a cause these health problems and has never paid a single dollar for these claims.

The story is set in the context of renewed interest in uranium mining due to increased attention to nuclear power as a very low carbon footprint energy source. A number of interviews relate to the negotiations between native peoples and uranium exploration companies which raise questions as to whether and how these mines could be reopened while still protecting workers’ health and the environment.

The video is visually stunning. However, the story itself develops at a distinctly slow pace, taking many, though not wholly unrelated, detours to New Mexico, Shanghai, Ottawa, and Hiroshima. Some students may find it difficult to maintain interest over the entire duration of the video. Teachers will not find hard-and-fast answers or definite conclusions from this documentary. In some ways, this can be considered a defect. However, this can also be a teaching opportunity about the problems of establishing a firm scientific basis and effective political and social solutions to occupational and environmental health problems, especially those occurring many decades ago in remote areas with multiple undocumented exposures to toxins including those voluntarily used such as tobacco. Still the film has a certain compelling nature to it though it certainly raises more questions than it answers.

Viewers will find additional resources including interviews not included in the documentary, a historical timeline, statistics, and a Goggle Earth map on the film’s web site.