Greiner, PatrickCrowder, KyleAndronicos, Aidan2025-08-012025-08-012025-08-012025Andronicos_washington_0250O_28605.pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/1773/53774Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2025The United States experienced a uranium mining boom during the Nuclear Arms Race, with much of the mining activity occurring in and around Indian Reservations. Abandoned uranium mines (AUMs) and tailings dumps are spread throughout the territory of Indian reservations, and many have not been environmentally remediated. Mine waste and drainage pose an ongoing environmental and public health threat. This type of mining releases carcinogens into the natural environment. Although there is existing literature on the topic of uranium mining waste, a sociological analysis of the problem has not yet been performed. In this paper, I evaluate the impact of mining on public health throughout the contiguous US since uranium mining occurred elsewhere in the US. I used a fixed effects regression model to determine whether people living in Indian reservations with AUMs are more likely to experience negative health outcomes. I explore the relationship between deaths from kidney and stomach cancers compared to non-native communities with abandoned uranium mines. The dependent measure is the age adjusted death rate per 100,000 people from stomach cancer or kidney and renal-pelvis cancer. The key findings in my models demonstrate that the effects of the dependent variable are most strongly influenced by health behaviors, whether or not the county contains reservation land, and median household income.application/pdfen-USnoneSociologyEnvironmental justiceSociologyThesis