Chevron, USA is the latest in a series of companies asked to clean up uranium on the Navajo Nation.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its Navajo Nation counterpart have assessed hundreds of abandoned uranium mines as part of an effort to address the contamination that has left a legacy of death and disease on the reservation.
EPA spokesman Clancy Tenley said Chevron has agreed to survey and clean up the 31-acre Mariano Lake Mine site, nearby homes and water wells.
"We’re working to make sure every responsible party takes steps needed to protect Navajo families from radioactive contamination," Tenley said.
Exposure to elevated levels of radium - a toxic element in uranium - over a long period of time can result in bone cancer, kidney failure, anemia, cataracts and fractured teeth.
