Call for interest in participation in an experts workshop

["Clement, Christopher" <clementc@aecl.ca>]

Radsafers:

I sent out this call for interest in participation in an experts workshop a
couple of weeks ago.  We have received some response, but are still looking
for more expressions of interest.  The deadline for submission of
expressions of interest has been extended to mid August.  Similarly, the
expected date of the workshop is now probably sometime in October instead of
September as noted below.

Please feel free to submit your expression of interest to one of the parties
listed at the bottom of this message, or pass this notice on to any of your
colleagues you think might have an interest.

Thanks.


Call for participation in an Experts Workshop

SUMMARY:

The Canada Deline Uranium Table, a joint working group formed in October
1999 to address environmental and health concerns about the abandoned Port
Radium uranium and silver mines (Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories), is
soliciting the participation of 10-12 experts in a workshop designed to aid
in the development of a comprehensive plan for future ecological and human
health studies.  The areas of expertise sought are: 1) health physics; 2)
general human health; 3) epidemiology; 4) oncology; 5) wildlife and aquatic
health; 6) environmental fate and pathways analysis of radionuclides and
metals; 7) mine site remediation (uranium/heavy metals); 8) use of
traditional knowledge in health and environmental studies; 9) risk
assessment/management; 10) risk communication; and 11) interdisciplinary
specialist.  Selected participants must be available for the three-day
workshop to be held in Deline in late September 2000 (18-21, tentatively)
and be prepared to dedicate about five days prior to this for review of
background material and preparation of a 3-5 page document outlining how
their area of expertise might respond to specific questions about the issues
of concern.

DETAILS:

I)  Mining:  Port Radium is located on the eastern shore of Great Bear Lake,
Northwest Territories and was the site of nearly uninterrupted underground
mining from 1933 until 1982.  The site was developed by Gilbert Labine and
his company, Eldorado Gold Mines Limited, following the discovery of a high
grade ore body in 1930.  Radium, silver and cobalt were extracted until 1940
when the mine was closed due to World War II and an oversupply of radium.
The mine reopened in 1942 as a crown corporation, Eldorado Mining and
Refining, following the secret sale of the company to the federal
government.  At this time the emphasis was on supplying uranium to the
United States Army for research being conducted to produce atomic weapons.

During the initial operations, mine capacity was 50-100 tons per day and
involved considerable hand-picking and manual labour to fill, seal and stack
burlap bags with concentrates.  A plant was locally installed in 1933 to
separate ore from the rock, leaving behind broken rock and wash-water
tailings.  Initially, these tailings and other waste materials were pumped
directly into an adjacent channel, Cobalt Channel, in Great Bear Lake.  In
1952, a sulfuric acid leach plant was built to achieve greater uranium
recovery.  Several tons of the tailings previously dumped into Cobalt
Channel were recovered using a dredging operation and reprocessed through
the plant.  In 1960, the operation shut down due to the depletion of the ore
reserve.  From the records of uranium milling, an estimated 1 000 000 tons
of tailings were discarded in the Port Radium area.

In 1964, Echo Bay Mines re-opened the site as a silver mine, using
facilities built during the previous operations.  The alkaline tailings and
mill process fluids were discharged into an uncontained area outside the
mill, accumulating to form the Silver Point tailings area or flowing into
Cobalt Channel.  Mine water was discharged into an adjacent bay of Great
Bear Lake.  In 1972-1973, mine water and tailings were treated and deposited
in a small lake located on the site.  The last ton of silver ore was milled
in May 1982, following which the mine was formally decommissioned.  The
silver mining operation produced a total of about 0.5 million tons of
tailings.

II) Community of Deline:  Deline, a community of about 650 people, primarily
of aboriginal decent, is located on the southwest shore of Great Bear Lake
and is about 240 km from Port Radium.  Uranium mining operations at Port
Radium have raised community concerns about potential environmental
contamination and cancer-related deaths.  Many Deline men were carriers of
uranium ore during the mining years and families living on the site were
exposed to tailings and used the sacks made to transport ore as reparation
materials for tents and clothes.  The community of Deline is particularly
concerned about the effects of present human exposure to radiation from
sources such as the consumption of traditional foods.  In addition, the loss
of many of the elders has raised concerns about transmission of traditional
knowledge to future generations.

III) Experts Workshop:  The overall objective of the Experts Workshop is to
provide technical input to contribute to the development of a comprehensive
plan to direct the activities of the Canada Deline Uranium Table through its
mandate.  The comprehensive plan should be prescriptive enough to allow the
Canada Deline Uranium Table to proceed with commissioning the work required
to assess the health and environmental impacts of Port Radium.  The
selection of participants will be based upon the following criteria:

1) Recognized abilities in the applicable area of expertise (considerations
will include publications, years of experience, formal education/training,
certifications, etc.).
2) Experience in various aspects of the area of expertise.
3) Ability to present a range of views on the area of expertise.
4) Excellent communications skills and experience communicating with
community groups (preferably with northern and/or aboriginal communities).
5) Some knowledge in another identified area of expertise and experience
working in a multidisciplinary environment would be significant assets.


Expressions of interest should be sent to one of the following Canada Deline
Uranium Table representatives no later than July 15 2000:

1) David Kennedy
Contaminants Specialist
Contaminants Division, DIAND NT

E-mail: KennedyD@inac.gc.ca
Phone: (867) 669-2668
Fax: (867) 669-2833

2) Shelagh Montgomery, PhD
Science Advisor
Deline Uranium Project Team
Deline, NT

E-mail: irish@eps.mcgill.ca
Phone: (867) 589 3618
Fax: (867) 589 3826


Christopher H. Clement, M.Sc., CHP
Scientific Specialist / Radiation Protection Program Manager
Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Office
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
clementc@aecl.ca
phone (613) 998-4525
fax (613) 952-0760


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