WHO Tests Hair to Probe Uranium From Johannesburg Gold Mines
- World Health Organization conducting Johannesburg pilot study
- Uranium residue left in waste after 130 years of gold mining
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The World Health Organization is collecting hair samples west of Johannesburg to see if residents near South Africa’s biggest city are suffering from excessive uranium pollution due to ore dumps from 130 years of gold mining.
The Geneva-based United Nations unit will analyze hair samples from about 1,600 people living in neighborhoods near mine-waste dumps, mainly west of Johannesburg, it said in an e-mailed response to questions. Uranium, which can cause cancer, can be ingested through drinking contaminated water or inhaling dust.