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20 J. Soc. & Soc. Welfare 5 (1993)
Social Work Practice and Technological Disasters: The Navajo Uranium Experience

handle is hein.journals/jrlsasw20 and id is 229 raw text is: Social Work Practice and Technological Disasters: The Navajo Uranium Experience Susan E. Dawson, Ph.D. Utah State University Findings of a community case study of Navajo uranium workers and their families are presented in light of the effects of technological disasters. The workers and their families were exposed to occupational and envi- ronmental hazards associated with the mining and milling of uranium. Implications for social work practice and education are presented using the concepts of a therapeutic community and victim typology. Introduction There is a growing effort within the scientific community to identify both the short- and long-term consequences of natural and technological disasters. Two areas of concern in the liter- ature are the development of therapeutic communities to help cope with disasters and the identification of different types of victimization. This paper will address these two areas within the context of technological disasters, and will present a case study of Navajo uranium workers. Finally, implications for so- cial work practice are discussed. Natural and Technological Disasters Distinctions between the stressors of natural versus tech- nological disasters have been well delineated in the literature (see Baum, Fleming, and Davidson, 1983; Baum, Fleming, and Singer, 1983; and Cuthbertson and Nigg, 1987). Technological disasters, e.g., nuclear plant accidents and toxic spills, indicate the collapse of humanmade systems, while natural disasters, e.g., floods and earthquakes, occur without human intervention. Technological disasters such as radioactive contamination may leave no visible evidence in the environment, but can lead to chronic stress and sickness. These resulting health effects are

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