20 Oct (NucNet): Areva has held a meeting in Gabon that marks the startup of a new organisation whose aims include monitoring the health of former workers exposed to uranium and studying the potential impact of mining operations on the health of the nearby Gabonese population.
The meeting of the Mounana Health Observatory was held in Libreville. The Mounana Health Observatory is part of an initiative by Areva in partnership with Médecins du Monde and the Paris-based human rights legal association Sherpa.
In a statement yesterday Areva said the first medical check-ups of former Compagnie des Mines d’Uranium de Franceville (Comuf) workers have begun. Comuf, of which Areva has been the principal shareholder since 1986, operated the uranium deposits of the Haut-Ogooué province in southeastern Gabon from 1961 to 1999.
The first medical check-ups may be supplemented by additional examinations, such as blood tests and chest x-rays. Areva said it will bear the cost of treatment of any disease attributable to its mining operations, in line with French regulations.
Operating mainly in the Mounana region, Comuf produced 26,660 metric tonnes of uranium over the 38 years of its industrial activity. The sites have since been undergoing rehabilitation, with final restoration operations in progress.
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