You pretty much backed up what I've known, or thought, right from the start. This community has had a very high rate of cancer, although people usually attribute that to decades of pesticide spraying (and chemical testing in the 70's) in nearby blueberry fields. I had an Eberline geiger counter for a while (but sold it because I needed the money), and it never showed more than 10-15 CPM around our property, which I don't think is anything to worry about. I never explored beyond our own property though; I may eventually buy another unit and do some further exploring on my own.
You also made a good point about putting geiger counters in the hands or people who don't understand them; I wouldn't want someone thinking their life was in imminent danger every time the unit made a click (and I'm sure there are people who would!).
A recent report in the TV media pointed out that right now, companies are only drilling for samples; it would take years to set up a full-blown mining operation. So for now at least, the biggest threat is noise levels or perhaps being evicted from our homes (expropriation)- something that happens much more often than most Canadians would like to admit. I have personally known people who have been forced off their land to make way for things like military bases and new roads (right here in the province), so that's why I'm so concerned about that.
Thanks anyway for the advice, your points are well-taken.
What do you consider a high rate of cancer? Approximately one in four people will eventually have one form of cancer or another. The probability of a male getting prostate cancer approaches 100% if he lives to be over 90. Many cancers are not caused by chemical exposures, and many are totally unrelated to radiation exposure.
If your "geiger counter" only registered 10 - 15 cpm, you have significantly less background radiation than many parts of North America. (Assuming it was calibrated and source checked daily to ensure that it was resp0nding to actual radiation and not electronic interference.) The fact that you call it a "geiger-counter" is a big tip off too. There is no model of radiation detection instrument that is (or has been in decades , if ever) called a geiger counter. May sound like trivia to you - but if you don't know what it is called (other than what you've seen in a B movie) you probably don't know how it works, and therefore don't know when it is working properly, what it is detecting, how to measure what you are trying to detect, ... the list goes on.
If you bought the thing used, you have no way of knowing if the detector was intact, if the gas inside was still there, if the electronics were working properly, if the cable connections ( a very frequent problem) were shorted out -- essentially whether the thing works properly or not.
Even trained professional Radiation Protection Technicians; even with years of experience and practical knowledge, even with instruments that are properly stored and maintained can not use instruments that do not have documented calibrations and daily response checks.
I am not trying to trivialize your concern, nor am I trying to belittle your knowledge. In fact, I expect that you should have no reason to posses any knowledge on the subject at all, so you couldn't possibly be deficient. The point that I am trying to make is that you have the right to know what hazards are in your area, and there is a right way to get that knowledge. You want trained professionals to inspect your bridges, fight fires, arrest criminals, perform surgery in your body, and defend you in the courts. You also want to turn over this work to trained professionals. Not that you need to trust blindly anything your government tells you, but you can use the government to help you protect yourself. That is what you pay them for.
If you tried in any public forum to raise a concern based on readings that you took (with suspect instruments at that), you won't be taken seriously. Even if you do find some elevated levels, your findings will be dismissed as the rantings of a disgruntled lay-person who has no expertise to back up his claims.
Don't waste your money on instruments that will not be of use to you. As a property owner, who is trying to protect his interests as a property owner, your first step should be to consult with an attorney at law. This person can not only speak for you (and your neighbors) but can arrange for the expert examination of the facts and conditions in your neighborhood. That way, you will have the one thing that can protect you from manipulation, set your mind at ease, and aid you in making wise decisions - knowledge. Get the facts. Get them from a qualified source. Get a lawyer.