LYNAS: NGOS’ CLAIMS FALSE
Official says SAM, CAP statements ignore scientific facts
LYNAS Malaysia Sdn Bhd has described claims made by two non-governmental organisations (NGOs) against the company as “false” and “ignoring scientific facts”.
Its Radiation Safety, Regulations and Compliance general manager, Professor Dr Ismail Bahari, said the Pakatan Harapan government’s Review Committee had found that Lynas Malaysia’s operations were low risk, compliant with regulations, and that residue storage facilities were operated in a proper manner.
“These findings are consistent with independent and scientific reviews, including by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“As such, Lynas Malaysia reiterates that all assessments of our operations should be based on scientific facts and evidence from qualified experts, and not unsupported assertions by unqualified
people,” he said in response to statements made by Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) and Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) on Wednesday.
CAP had urged ministers to stand firm in demanding that Lynas ship out radioactive wastes from Malaysia.
CAP president S.M. Mohamed Idris said failing to do so, the plant should stop operations.
He said the statement by Entrepreneur Development Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof, that Lynas Malaysia should not be compelled to export its waste back to Australia, as the plant’s investments were “too big to ignore”, was shocking.
Idris said it was not Redzuan’s mandate to interfere with the jurisdiction of the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry, which is responsible for handling the toxic and radioactive waste generated by the Lynas plant in Gebeng, Kuantan.
He added that CAP and SAM supported the ministry’s decision to ask Lynas to remove and dispose of radioactive waste in the Water Leach Purification (WLP) process, which was in accordance with the two letters of undertaking given by the company to the government in February and March 2012.
Idris said the NGOs had always called for the waste to be exported, as could not be regarded as naturally-occurring radioactive material, but was in fact technologically-enhanced and dangerous, and the procedures involved removal from the ground and concentrated by mechanical and chemical processes.
He said claims that the radioactive elements, such as uranium and thorium, in the WLP process could be diluted and made less radioactive did not hold water and were unfounded.
Refuting Idris’s arguments, Ismail said it was a fact that WLP residue was naturally-occurring radioactive materials (NORMs).
WLP contains low level, naturally-occurring radionuclides.
The lanthanide concentrate (feedstock material) processed at the Lynas plant has the same low level of NORMs as the WLP residue.
“There is no technological enhancement of the low-level, naturally-occurring radionuclides (thorium and uranium).
“This was confirmed by the Review Committee, appointed by the energy, science, technology, environment and climate change minister last year, which stated that WLP is ‘a material that contains NORMs’.
“WLP is classified as NORMs by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the international scientific benchmark for radiation safety. In addition, the IAEA Safety Standard for protecting people and the environment (GSR Part 5, 2009) advocates ‘dilute and disperse’ as one of the principal ways radioactive waste can be managed.”