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PREFACE
Author(s) -
Magnussen Gudmund
Publication year - 1947
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1947.tb03945.x
Subject(s) - citation , library science , computer science , psychology , information retrieval
In October 1995 the First International Conference on Uranium Mining and Hydrogeology took place with 350 participants from 30 countries (e.g. Canada, China, Czech Republic, Russia, and United States) at TU Bergakademie Freiberg in cooperation with the Saxonian State Ministry for Regional Development and the Environment and a significant financial support from this state authority. The aim of the conference had been to discuss the danger for surfaceand groundwater by former uranium mines, uranium treatment plants, heaps and tailings and appropriate cleanup technologies as well as modeling tools. At this time shortly after the end of the cold war most uranium mines were or had already been closed down, the environmental risk of the uranium brownfields became obvious and public awareness rose. Although the closure of uranium mining and milling facilities was a worldwide phenomenon at that time Freiberg was probably the most suitable city for the conference. This is because Freiberg is home of the oldest still operating mining university (Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg) in the world founded in 1765 on the one hand and because the city was in direct vicinity to the uranium mining and milling sites of the former GDR (East Germany) which was the third biggest producer of uranium from 1947 to 1990 on the other hand. Communication during UMH I was facilitated with the help of simultaneous interpreters. The conferences to follow (UMH II to UMH VII) were solely based on English as communication language and accompanied the rehabilitation and cleanup of uranium brownfields in Germany as well as in many other countries worldwide. In many countries nowadays this job is more or less done. However, in some countries such as Kirgizstan and Kazakhstan uranium mining and milling areas are still waiting for a proper aftercare. Past challenges were countless mistakes and carelessness related to mining, milling and processing of uranium that contaminated surfaceand groundwater. Other topics had been advantages, disadvantages and needs for modeling tools, analytical problems, quality and uncertainties of thermodynamic data, risk assessment studies, and phosphate mining. Because phosphate often contains uranium, thorium, and radium phosphate fertilizers contain considerable amounts of uranium