Friday 6 May 2005
ABC NT Local News

Operators of the Northern Territory's Ranger uranium mine have pleaded guilty to a series of contamination incidents in 2003 and 2004.

Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) is facing charges in the Darwin Magistrates Court relating to breaches of the Mining Management Act.

In March 2004, 28 workers fell ill after drinking or showering in water containing 400 times the legal limit of uranium.

Ten of the workers drank more than two litres of contaminated water.

The court heard the workers reported symptoms including gastric upsets, headaches and rashes.

Earlier that year and in late 2003, vehicles also left the mine site contaminated with uranium ore.

In one incident, a bob cat left the mine to be repaired at the nearby town of Jabiru.

While a clearance certificate was issued, investigations found the bob cat had not been cleaned properly and more than a hundred litres of uranium ore fell from the machine.

Three children played with the material and made sandcastles. It later was considered to be of low radioactivity.

The case continues.