PKR vice-president Fuziah Salleh today disputed again Lynas Corp’s claim that its rare earth ore emits minimal radiation.
Citing an Australian parliamentary report, the Kuantan MP said that the Australian miner’s Kuantan plant will produce up to 2,200 tonnes of radioactive waste per year.
Fuziah (picture) said the report shows that the main source of thorium — the radioactive element found in virtually all rare earth deposits — in Australia comes from monazite ore, which contains 8 to 10 per cent thorium.
Lynas claims that its ore contains just 0.16 per cent thorium as it is unique and so far found in only three locations around the world.
“Whom do we believe? Lynas or the Parliament of Australia?” said Fuziah, who has been leading calls to reject the RM700 million refinery that is set to be completed in September.
April 15, 2011 – Malaysia Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 — PKR vice-president Fuziah Salleh today disputed again Lynas Corp’s claim that its rare earth ore emits minimal radiation.
Citing an Australian parliamentary report, the Kuantan MP said that the Australian miner’s Kuantan plant will produce up to 2,200 tonnes of radioactive waste per year.
Fuziah (picture) said the report shows that the main source of thorium — the radioactive element found in virtually all rare earth deposits — in Australia comes from monazite ore, which contains 8 to 10 per cent thorium.
Lynas claims that its ore contains just 0.16 per cent thorium as it is unique and so far found in only three locations around the world.
“Whom do we believe? Lynas or the Parliament of Australia?” said Fuziah, who has been leading calls to reject the RM700 million refinery that is set to be completed in September.
Alarm in Japan over potential radiation leaks from nuclear plant explosions caused by the recent earthquake and tsunami, coupled with a recent New York Times report highlighting the radioactive waste produced in the rare earth refining process, has revived fears and debate on the issue.
Environmentalists and residents living near the factory site in the Gebeng industrial zone have raised questions over the potential environmental hazards arising from radioactive waste being produced and stored at the plant.
They cite Malaysia’s last rare earth project, the Asian Rare Earth (ARE) plant in Bukit Merah, as a warning.
Nearly 20 years after the ARE facility was closed down, it is still being cleaned up at a cost of RM303 million and has been linked to at least eight cases of leukaemia, seven resulting in death.
In a statement today, Fuziah said that as Lynas targets production of 22,000 tonnes of rare earth per year, it would be producing between 1,760 and 2,200 tonnes of thorium in Gebeng.
She said that by comparison the amang (tin tailings) used in Bukit Merah had just 6 per cent thorium. Reports also state that Lynas will process 10 times the ore that ARE did.
Fuziah said regulators Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) should consider this issue in more detail and consult third-party experts on the matter.
“This information leaves the concerned citizens of Kuantan very worried of the situation that’s pending should AELB decide to issue a licence to operate,” she said.
The Australian Parliament research paper was published in September 2007 on the possibility of using thorium as a source of nuclear energy.
…more (Malaysia Insider)
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