There is hardly any study on environmental impacts of uranium exploration and mining development prior to actual mining activities. Rather, the majority of the literature addresses the environmental impacts of either ongoing or decommissioned mines. The objective of the study was to measure the possible radioactive contamination (total uranium and lead) in the local ecosystem surrounding an abandoned uranium development site on indigenous land in Labrador (Canada). Water (brook and ponds), soil/sediments (brook and ponds), plants (growing along the brook and pond shores), and local fish (trout) and clams from bays were collected from mine development site, downstream, and control sites. Uranium and lead mobilization in the local environment appears to be slightly enhanced near the proposed mining site, but rapidly drops downstream. Developing a low-cost, community-based environmental health monitoring tool is an ideal strategy for generating baseline information and further follow-up.
Keywords: Canada; Community-driven initiative; Environmental impact assessment; Indigenous; Inuit; Labrador; Uranium.