Mining of uranium and thorium

Three-quarters of the world's uranium is mined in Kazakhstan, Canada, Australia and Namibia, with the remaining quarter from another 11 countries. In the USA and Kazakhstan, most uranium is now extracted by in situ leach methods, which is cheaper and seen as better environmentally than traditional mineral extraction methods such as those used in coal mining.

Mining uranium today is not that much different from mining any other metal; the uranium itself generally has a very low level of radioactivity. Many uranium mines, especially in Australia and Canada, have ISO 14001 certification, a set of international standards clarifying best practices for organizations adopting an environmental management system (EMS).

See also Nuclear power reconsidered.