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Public opposition is mounting over uranium exploration in New Brunswick, as citizen action groups stage consultation sessions in two areas of the province this week to emphasize what they call an impending public health threat.

But academic experts suggest any health risks are mitigated by regulatory requirements that are much more stringent than mining standards for other minerals.

Uranium exploration efforts in the province have reached unprecedented levels over the past year in response to a surge in prices of the silvery metallic mineral best known as a fuel for nuclear reactors.

The majority of claims are staked in the southern region, particularly around Moncton, while many others are clustered near Fredericton.

These developments have come with considerable opposition, with some groups saying the government is blinded by potential royalties and cannot see the health risks associated with uranium mining and exploration.

These groups are calling for a moratorium on uranium exploration and mining until the potential health risks are assessed.

Advocacy group Citizens Against Radioactive Emissions in New Brunswick held a public consultation on these activities Wednesday night in Fredericton Junction, while the Conservation Council of New Brunswick plans to run a similar event in Moncton this Sunday.

"There are 12 toxic substances that become airborne when uranium is mined," said Yvonne Devine, president of the southeast chapter of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.

"And the government is looking at this from a purely economic perspective. True sustainability is the economy, it's the environment and it's the people and their health. When you put it all together, this is not a good idea."

Devine said research shows uranium mining can lead to cancer, leukemia and birth defects.

She said the byproducts of uranium, including thorium, radon and radium, are the sources of these health threats, and are often found in stockpiles of tailings, or waste, from the mining process.

Several geologists have said it will likely be another five years before mining firms find an economically viable deposit of uranium. The regulations governing the mining process mean there will likely not be one operational for an additional 10 to 20 years, they said.

In the meantime, said Devine, high pressure drills used to get core samples during the exploration process push contaminants such as arsenic into the water table.

But those techniques are the same, or are similar to, the ones used for all metal and mineral exploration.

"The Conservation Council appears to be against all exploration and mining in the province," David Lentz, geologist with the University of New Brunswick's Fredericton campus, said in response to Devine's comments.

He estimated mining is a $1.5-billion industry in a province with a $7-billion budget.

Lentz said the regulatory approval process involved with uranium mining mitigates any health risks. He admitted radium poses a potential problem once uranium is mined, but he said there are geochemical processes available to make the element immobile.

He added there have been many technological advances in the storage and containment of waste, including medical isotopes.

Lentz's arguments were echoed Wednesday by William Bowden, chair of mineral engineering at the University of Toronto.

"The exploration process is benign, whether you're exploring for gold or base metals," he said. "Exploration is a long ways away from a producing mine, and a producing mine isn't a nuclear power plant."