Photo de stock - FILED - 01 January 1990, Berlin, Ronneburg: Thuringia / Mining / GDR / 9 / 1990 Uranium mining in Ronneburg. The company belonged to VEB Wismut. The GDR government in Berlin had decided to stop uranium mining. The miners threatened to dump uranium waste on the highways if those responsible did not talk to them. They occupied the shafts. The photo shows workers belonging to their union secretary, an SED-PDS member, who reports on the unsuccessful negotiations / Environment / Mining / Radiation / Economy / Workers / Workers / The Deutsch-Sowjetische Aktiengesellschaft was founded after the GDR was formed in order to allow the Soviet Union further access to uranium in the Erz Mountains. Between 1946 and 1990, more than 200,000 tons of uranium ore were mined. When uranium mining was discontinued in 1990, huge areas of overburden rubble and sludge had to be remediated at a cost of around 8 billion euros. Old shafts had to be filled, dumps were secured and planted, radioactive equipment had to be brought underground. The area around Aue in Saxony and eastern Thuringia around Ronneburg is affected / Uranium mining Photo: Paul Glaser/dpa-Zentralbild/ZB. - Ronneburg/Berlin/Germany