Investigators to Measure Radiation at Congo Mine

U.N. investigators are expected to measure radiation levels at a uranium mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations announced Friday (see GSN, July 21).

The team is scheduled to visit the Shinkolobwe mine from Oct. 24-Nov. 4, according to U.N. spokeswoman Elizabeth Byrs. A report is expected by the end of November, according to the Associated Press.

Workers at the mine continue to dig illegally for cobalt, according to the Associated Press. President Joseph Kabila ordered a halt to mining there earlier this year under international pressure from parties who feared the mine’s uranium deposits could fall into the hands of terrorists.

The estimated 14,000 miners at the site could also face cancer or other health problems due to high radiation levels at the mine, the United Nations said (Associated Press, Oct. 22).

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