From June 19 to 22, doctors, scientists and environmental experts met in the town of Ronneburg and discussed the long term health and environmental effects of uranium mining. Between 1946 and 1990, the Soviet-German "Wismut" company ran a vast network of uranium mines in this region between the Erzgebirge in Saxony and Eastern Thuringia, becoming the largest supplier of fissile material to the Soviet nuclear weapons program.

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The demand for uranium, the fuel for nuclear power plants and nuclear bombs, creates an apparent need for more mining operations. For this reason and because of insufficient local regulation, uranium-mining companies are increasingly focusing on African countries. However, besides short-term socio-economic benefits, the local populations are not usually informed about the possible long-term consequences of uranium mining on their health and environment, most of which are only poorly investigated. On the other hand, some nations are starting to phase out the nuclear option and there is increasing pressure by the people of the world for a complete abolition of nuclear weapons. This has already led to a lower world market price for uranium, thus strengthening the case against new mining operations. As socially committed medical doctors, we feel an obligation to provide concerned citizens, NGOs and political decision makers with comprehensive information about uranium and its health, environmental, and socio-economic impacts.

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Around the globe, some seventy-five percent of uranium mining takes place on the lands of indigenous peoples. The largest uranium reserves are found in Canada and Australia; uranium is also mined throughout Latin America and in Kazakhstan, Niger, Russia, Namibia and Uzbekistan. Exploration for further uranium ore bodies is presently underway in Tanzania, Mali, and the Amazon region of Brazil.

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