https://web.archive.org/web/20110902035331/http://keeptheban.org/A well-funded industry push to lift the ban on uranium mining is threatening the health and safety of communities in Virginia. What’s a low-budget environmental coalition to do in response?
How about baking some cupcakes!
Letting Union Printed Stickers (and cupcakes!) Do the Talking
Using union campaign stickers made by Ethix Merch and union labor, https://web.archive.org/web/20110902035331/http://keeptheban.org/ delivered these cupcakes to legislators in Virginia. They decided to include a union bug in solidarity with labor groups.
This creative action was the handywork of citizens who understand the risks of uranium mining. They gave out “yellow cake” cupcakes as a reminder to lawmakers that “while this yellow cake was not harmful, making uranium yellowcake and leaving behind radioactive waste in Virginia is.”
According to the Keep the Ban website, uranium exposure can lead to these health risks:
https://web.archive.org/web/20110902035331/http://keeptheban.org/“Exposure to uranium has been linked to cancer and respiratory diseases and can exert toxic effects on kidney function, bone development, and the formation of blood cells2.
The radioactive chemical element radium is found in uranium waste. Radium decays into the radioactive gas radon, which is difficult to contain. If ingested, it may increase the risk for bone, liver, lung and breast cancer1.
African Americans may be more vulnerable to the biological effects of uranium. African American women in particular have shown an increased risk for breast cancer due to elevated uranium concentration in groundwater3.
Babies from mothers who had prolonged exposure to uranium tailings waste in Church Rock, New Mexico, suffered a significant increase in birth defects4.” (see sources here)
There are also economic risks and severe implications for rivers and the environment. Even if you don’t live in Virginia, you should check where your state stands in regard to uranium extraction.
You can learn more about the group’s actions by joining their facebook page or watching this short film about the potential damages to local watersheds:
Daniel Cardozo, CEO of Ethix Merch, is a passionate advocate for ethical promotional products. With a mission to transform global supply chains, he serves on the Labor 411 Foundation and Advertising Specialty Institute’s Promo for the Planet Advisory Board. Daniel is dedicated to empowering socially and environmentally-conscious consumers.
