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Fuziah lauds gov't's decision ordering Lynas to remove radioactive waste
Bernama | Published: 19 Dec 2018, 10:14 pm | Modified: 19 Dec 2018, 10:49 pm




Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Fuziah Salleh welcomed the government's decision ordering Lynas Corporation Ltd (Lynas) to remove the radioactive waste processed at the company's factory from Kuantan in Pahang.

The Kuantan MP said she was informed of the decision reached at a cabinet meeting today following suggestions from the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry.

Describing the decision as the best achievement for the people's cause, Fuziah hoped the process could be carried out as soon as possible.

“This is a much awaited decision for the residents and if possible, I hope the process can be done immediately because the water content in the rivers in Kuantan is now almost polluted.

“The general population earn their living from the rivers and the sea, imagine if these are polluted, how will they make a living,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's Department will propose amendments to the Administration of Islamic Law (Federal Territories) Act 1993 (Act 505) on the issue of Baitulmal funds for emergency purposes.

Fuziah said under the provisions of Act 505, Baitulmal is currently only allowed to issue RM50 for an applicant.

“Act 505 outlines an emergency fund withdrawal of RM50 which is too small an amount to solve a problem. So, there is a need for the amendment to create a more comprehensive emergency fund distribution method,” he told reporters at the 2018 corporate zakat handover in Putrajaya today.

— Bernama

 An Open Letter To Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammad

18th December 2018

Dear Esteemed Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir,

Please do NOT accept Najib’s Poisoned Chalice and Lynas Spin


We, the rakyat thank you for returning to the political centre stage through Pakatan Harapan (PH) to get rid of Najib and his kleptocratic regime. Sadly, Najib has left a poisoned chalice through the 100% Australian-owned Lynas rare earth plant in Malaysia. It is like the toxic legacy of the 1 MDB scandal that will continue to plague PH until it is cleaned up and sorted.


The Lynas Rare Earth Plant and its Mounts of Contaminated Waste

Tun, you are a wise Elder stateman. We hope and trust that you can see why Malaysia should enforce our law and regulations on Lynas to ensure that its hazardous waste cease to pollute our precious environment and to spiral into a serious toxic rerun.


According to Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) “Good corporate governance promotes investor confidence”. While the ASX and Australia have limited jurisdiction over Lynas’ operations in Malaysia, the PH Government has the power to ensure that Lynas truly complies with Malaysian law and regulations, as well as adhere to the ASX Corporate Governance Principles[ https://www.asx.com.au/documents/asx-compliance/cgc-principles-and-recommendations-3rd-edn.pdf p.3-4]. Sustainable development as promised in the PH Manifesto is only possible ifthe Government upholds our own law to restore order.


Many of us have contributed and campaigned for PH to be elected. We supported your leadership because we trust that you will act in Malaysia’s interest and that you will hold your words to undo past mistakes. Lynas is a major mistake committed by the Najib regime. We now count on you to join Energy, Technology, Science, Climate Change and Environment Minister Yeo Bee Yin to right this wrong to pave the way for Malaysia to pursue a new clean and safe sustainable pathway of development.


In summary:


Lynas’ waste is neither earth nor harmless and there are over 1.5 million tonnes of it contaminating our environment right now. The waste is a concoction of chemical compounds containing cancer-causing radionuclides, heavy metals and other toxic elements including arsenic and chemicals.


Scientific fact - radiation beyond the background increases the risk of getting cancer, due to both the external and internal radiation effects. In 2015, a major epidemiological cohort study involving 308 297 workers exposed to low-level radioactivity provided a direct estimate of the association between protracted low dose exposure to ionising radiation and deaths from solid cancer.


International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) has made scientifically-based recommendations since 1990 to limit the single-source radiation exposure above the background to 1 mSv per year per person. Lynas’ WLP waste currently has an exposure dose of 14.4 mSv per year per person.


When Lynas mined, milled and chemically processed its lanthanide ore bearing hazardous elements and radionuclides, these toxic elements are released from their natural shields and they will harm us and our environment.


Lynas’ current storage facility in a peat mangrove swamp is grossly inadequate resulting in serious contaminations problems.


While ARE feedstock has much higher level of radioactivity, Lynas will generate 160 times more waste than ARE’s in another 15 years’ time, the health care and environmental damage costs will spiral. To then isolate the nearly 2 million tonnes of WLP waste will require close to 100 square kilometres of pristine forest to be permanently wasted to create another toxic tomb.


Misinformation Must be Corrected


Back in 2012, through your blog, Chedat - http://chedet.cc/?p=761, you asserted that “the Lynas plant in Pahang does not involve activating any of the `rare earth components to make them radioactive. The process cannot be harmful. As for the waste, it does not give off harmful radiation either. The waste is just ordinary earth which is normally mixed with the small amounts of rare earth. The necessity to export the waste does not arise.”


The information you have received about Lynas is incorrect. Lynas’ own ground water monitoring data revealed to the Executive Review Committee (ERC) have shown serious heavy metal contaminations since 2015[ Laporan Jawatankuasa Eksekutif Penilaian Operasi Lynas Advanced Materials Plant, 2018. P.80-81]. None of our regulators has acted on it even though they are mandated to protect our environment and our community. As rakyat who want the best for our beloved Malaysia, we present here through this open letter the facts about Lynas.


Lynas’ Waste is Toxic - Bad for Us, Bad for our Environment and Bad for our Economy


Scientifically, the level of radiation in the ore and wastes is caused by the concentration of radioactive elements or radionuclides. It need not be ‘activated’ to be harmful. Rare earth elements in our smart phones and the wide range of electronic consumables are not radioactive, or else they would not see the day light of the market economy. Malaysia is left with the waste containing carcinogenic radionuclides and other hazardous elements which have been extracted from the ore. In advanced industrialised nations, this type of waste is disposed of in regulated well-engineered facility[ Oeko Institute, 2013, Description and Critical Environmental Evaluation of the REE Refining Plant LAMP near Kuantan in Malaysia, p.78] to isolate the radionuclides from the biosphere. Australia considered the water-leached purification (WLP) stream of waste from Lynas as a radioactive waste.[ https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;db=CHAMBER;id=chamber/hansards/22bf1f16-2a0b-4177-8209-58163298188d/0214;query=Id:%22chamber/hansards/22bf1f16-2a0b-4177-8209-58163298188d/0000%22]


Lynas waste is not earth but a concoction of chemical compounds as follows:


1.water-leached purification (WLP) waste currently totalling 451,564 tonnes contaminated with 880,000kg long living thorium (radioactivity of 8Bq/g with a half-life of 14 billion year), 7,700kg uranium[Estimates based on 2014 UKM research findings (https://ukm.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/thorium-uranium-and-rare-earth-elements-content-in-lanthanide-con) on the Thorium and Uranium concentration of Lynas’ WLP waste], 1,305,000 kg manganese, 359,000 kg chromium, 221,000 kg lead, 50,124kg nickel, 5,800kg arsenic, 3,700 cadmium and other heavy metals[ Environ, 2011, Safety Case of the Radioactive Waste Disposal LAMP, p. 26].


a.Lynas' WLP waste to rare earth oxides (REO) ratio has increased by 2.5 times from its declared ratio of 64,000:22,500=2.8 tonnes per tonne of REO. Its current ratio is 451,564:62,582[ Estimated from Lynas’ Quarterly Reports ]=7.2 tonnes per tonne of REO. Lynas should have sought approval for the higher waste ratio, carried out a new radiological risk assessment and a new safety case analysis for the increase in its hazards load as it has serious safety implications for Malaysia. In 20 years’ time, the total accumulated WLP waste will be over 3 million tonnes. Our regulatory agencies AELB and DoE had failed to act on this.


b.WLP waste is a radioactive waste by Australian definition which would need a special permit to return to Lynas’ mine pit under very stringent regulatory control.[ See ref 3 Hansard entry for the Senate Questions on Notice in the previous page] It is the safest option for Malaysia. Leaving it in high population-density Malaysia in its current low-lying peat swamp location will add significant hazards to our environment, posing serious intergenerational threat to both our environment and our community.

Above : WLP waste piled up to 9-metre high covered with HDPE Plastic - effective dose 14.4 mSv/year – international regulatory limit for effective dose to the public is 1mSv/year
2.1,113,000 tonnes of neutralisation underflow residue (NUF) waste classified as scheduled waste which is essentially a contaminated gypsum which Lynas has yet to commercialised despite claims made in its own waste management plan. This waste is no longer kept in its original facility since all of the four retention ponds have now been used to store the WLP waste. They are left in open space as shown in the aerial photo in page 1.


Ground Water Contamination Consistent with Toxic Elements in Lynas Waste


Lynas’ waste storage facility, claimed by Lynas to be an international best practice, has been assessed to be inadequate in preventing ground and surface water contamination and flooding runoffs[ Oeko Institute, 2013, Description and Critical Environmental Evaluation of the REE Refining Plant LAMP. P. 53-80]. This assessment is now proven true by Lynas’ own ground water monitoring data for nickel, chromium, lead and mercury revealed by the ERC on p.80-81. These are toxic elements that should never be allowed to contaminate our environment. The maximum recorded contamination level of 96,110 µg/l for nickel was at or near the Lynas waste water discharge point, labelled as GW13. This reading is over 1000 times higher than the Dutch intervention level of 75 µg/l![ Laporan Jawatankuasa Eksekutif Penilaian Operasi Lynas Advanced Materials Plant, 2018 ]. This is just the tip of the iceberg as we have no access to further monitoring data from Lynas.


Health Hazards of Lynas’ Radionuclides Contaminated Waste
It is a long-established scientific fact that radiation beyond the background increases the risk of getting cancer, due both the external and internal radiation effects. It is for this very reason that the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) has made scientifically-based recommendations since 1990 to limit the single-source exposure above the background to 1 mSv per year per person – known as the annual effective dose limit for public[ https://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/q8900.html].


This recommendation was reaffirmed in the 2007 ICRP report[ The 2007 Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection. Publication 103, Annals of the ICRP, Vol. 37]. In 2015, a major epidemiological cohort study involving 308 297 workers exposed to low-level radioactivity in France, United Kingdom and the United States of America provided a direct estimate of the association between protracted low dose exposure to ionising radiation and deaths from solid cancer[ https://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h5359 - British Medical Journal].


World Health Organisation has since strengthened its warnings on the solid cancer risk from exposure to low dose ionising radiation.[ https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ionizing-radiation-health-effects-and-protective-measures]
Lynas has claimed that the toxic elements in its wastes are naturally occurring and are found everywhere in our environment and are therefore harmless. In truth, when Lynas mined, milled and chemically processed its lanthanide ore bearing hazardous elements and radionuclides, they are released from their natural shields which have protected them from getting into contact with us and our environment.

Comparing naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in beach sand, rocks, soil, etc in their natural shielded states with Lynas’ imported NORM processed in Malaysia and left in its waste is an insult to our intelligence. The low risk radioactivity Lynas has claimed for its operations has not accounted for the biological effects of ionizing radiation and toxic hazards from its contaminants in the waste.[ https://www.epa.gov/radiation/tenorm-rare-earths-mining-wastes – US EPA’s Radiation Protection Guide on TENORM : Processing rare earth minerals involves the separation and removal of uranium and thorium, which results in TENORM wastes] These are Lynas’ real public and industrial hazards which it has failed to contain and safely managed.


Exposure to concentrated radionuclides like those in Lynas’ WLP waste, increases the risk of ionising radiation hazards both for humans and the natural environment – potentially contaminating the food chain. Thorium dioxide, which is present in Lynas’ WLP waste at 1000ppm, is a known human carcinogen[ https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/a?dbs+hsdb:@term+@DOCNO+6364]. There is research evidence that inhaling thorium dust increases the risk of bone, lung and pancreatic cancer.[ 2 https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/thorium – US National Cancer Institute]


Additionally, nickel, lead, chromium, cadmium, arsenic and chemical compounds in the WLP waste are toxic and are harmful to humans and can contaminate our food sources and water.[ Laporan Jawatankuasa Eksekutif Penilaian Operasi Lynas Advanced Materials Plant, 2018; and Environ 2011, Safety Case Analysis of Radioactive Waste LAMP, p. 26]
Malaysia Cannot Afford Another Toxic Legacy
The toxic legacy in Bukit Merah is a mistake that should not be repeated. Countless number of children died of childhood leukemia. Miscarriages, cancer cases and birth defects affected those who were exposed to the Mitsubishi’s Asian Rare Earth (ARE) hazards. Bukit Merah has become an infamous case study of mismanagement of industrial hazards which has shadowed over Malaysia’s governance credentials.
While ARE feedstock has much higher level of radioactivity, the amount of WLP waste generated by Lynas to date has already exceeded the total generated by ARE in its entire operational lifetime by 40 times!! The quantity of thorium, uranium, heavy metals, toxic elements and chemicals in Lynas’ wastes pose significant hazards to require their total removal from Malaysia to avoid costly health and environmental disasters which often take a long time to surface for this kind of pollution.


The paltry US$50 million Lynas has committed to the de-commissioning fund will not be enough to clean up the mess 160 times more than ARE. Lynas’ attempt to make its current storage facility in a peat swamp is grossly irresponsible given the serious contaminations problems that have already occurred.


Support Minister Yeo Bee Yin to Enforce Law and Restore Order


Minister Yeo Bee Yin is right in exercising the power of the Government to order Lynas to remove its WLP waste from Malaysia and to clean up its scheduled waste in accordance with Malaysian law and regulations – law and order must be restored and upheld. The opportunity costs of sacrificing at least 100 square kilometres of precious pristine rainforest to bury Lynas’ colossal toxic waste, its entire plant and equipment during decommissioning will be immense. The risk of leakage and exposure to future generations from a major landslide or erosion – both of which are common occurrences in Malaysia, is real and costly.


Malaysia will end up footing their rising medical bills and our economy suffers through the loss of productivity, contaminated seafood, expensive legacy site clean-up and a poor reputation. Tourism industry which has provided more safe and sustainable employment to locals will be severely affected. Will Lynas pay for these costs, permanent damages and bear responsibility in perpetuality? What if the contamination and hazards spread further afield? Is it worth paying such high costs for a rogue Australian junior mining company like Lynas?


Sure, extraction of amang, mineral ores, by-products or used products containing rare earth elements (REE) should be pursued when it is commercially and technically viable to do so in socially responsible and ecologically sustainable manners. However, the way Lynas has done it in Malaysian is far from being responsible or ecologically sustainable. It is for this reason that until today, seven years from when Lynas is known to the people in Malaysia, it STILL has no social licence to operate. PH cannot afford this public health scandal.


If Lynas was genuinely serious about international best practice, it would have stayed in Western Australia to comply with its stringent requirements to keep its supply chain clean. Instead Lynas has polluted Malaysia, inflicted a costly slow violence upon the local community and still persistently trying to deceive the Government to accept its hazards. Lynas lacks ethics, transparency and corporate social and environmental responsibility, as promoted by the Australian Stock Exchange corporate governance principles, towards Malaysia and the rakyat; its own shareholders and investors who might have invested in the company, misled to believe that it has adhered to a decent governance standard, when the opposite is true.


As a trained medical doctor, Tun, it is prudence that you take recommendations from the ICRP and WHO seriously, in our national interests and for the sake of the rakyat who are already at risk. Every day that the WLP waste remains in Malaysia, it will be a stark reminder that PH has accepted Najib’s poisoned chalice to allow a mega toxic legacy to fester and grow into a costly and dangerous permanent sore for Malaysia.


Concerned Citizens of Malaysia

SMSL/PSHK : Press statement


It is High Time Our Regulators Get Referred to the MACC


16th December 2018


Many people, especially those from responsible industries and businesses might have half guessed why and how Lynas could get away with accumulating huge amount of contaminated wastes by its Gebeng plant for over six years. No other industry or business anywhere in Malaysia could get away with so much waste left to contaminate our environment and let its hazards spread amidst claims of ‘zero-harm’ and ‘compliance’.

Mr Hon Kai Ping, legal advisor for SMSL said, “The two regulatory agencies overseeing the Lynas’ radiological and environmental management are Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) and Department of Environment or Jabatan Alam Sekitar (DoE/JAS) respectively. They are required through their respective mandated roles and responsibilities under the Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984 and Environmental Quality Act 1974 to uphold the law and to enforce regulations stated under these Acts of Parliament.”
Since Lynas commenced its operations, SMSL has been assisted by a team of high calibre professionals, both locally and from abroad, to monitor Lynas closely. One of the researchers, Alan Chan explained, “As an engineer with decades of experience in the industry, I could not understand how Lynas has been permitted to store so much scheduled and radionuclides contaminated wastes in open space. So, I checked up on the relevant Acts and regulations. I am shocked by how far DoE had bent its own rules to allow those rising piles of contaminated wastes to be stored for years next to the Lynas plant!”

SMSL has identified numerous areas where our regulators have failed to act to prevent contamination of our environment by Lynas’ radionuclides and toxic substances. SMSL is documenting these violations and breaches with the aim to lodge a complaint with the MACC.

Malaysia’s Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984 is more than 30 years out of date and out of step with international regulatory framework. IAEA in its 2011 Mission report identified this gap and through its recommendation 7 urged AELB to update its regulations in accordance with the most recent international standards, and to have specific regulations on the management of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) relevant to the Lynas operations. Additionally, IAEA also recommended that AELB provided publicly accessible information on its inspection and enforcement; and to involve members of the public in its decision-making processes through recommendations 8 and 9.[https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/lynas-report-20052015.pdf p. 5] Although AELB showed the IAEA its updated AELA draft in the 2014 IAEA Mission, the 2011 AELA updates/amendments were never enacted into the law.[ https://www.nst.com.my/news/2017/02/212312/aelb-government-amend-act-304]
“Malaysia must be the only country in the world that has fast tracked a rare earth refinery plant construction with just a preliminary environmental impact assessment; then issue a temporary operating licence followed by a full licence which was subsequently renewed, in the absence of full compliance to licence conditions by Lynas.” Mr Hon lamented.

“When Lynas claimed that it has complied with the law, it is the law which AELB and DoE/JAS have bent for Lynas. As an Australian corporate entity, Lynas should adhere to the ASX Corporate Governance Principles – especially Principle 3 which requires that it acts ‘ethically and responsibly’ which goes ‘well beyond mere compliance with legal obligations and involves acting with honesty, integrity’ and ‘includes being, and being seen to be, a good corporate citizen, acting responsibly towards the environment.’”[ https://www.asx.com.au/documents/asx-compliance/cgc-principles-and-recommendations-3rd-edn.pdf] He added.
Rare earth processing has long been avoided by most advanced industrialised countries because of its association with environmental pollution and its massive amount of long-living thorium and hazardous waste. This type of waste needs to be isolated from the biosphere in high standard costly engineered facility. Lynas’ RSF is not adequate as its own ground water monitoring data in 2015-2016 already indicated serious contaminations have occurred.
Mr Tan Bun Teet, chairman of SMSL said, “The contamination data on nickel, chromium, lead and mercury we have seen in p.80 and 81 of the report by the Executive Review Committee (ERC) on Lynas are only a glimpse of the full extent of the contamination problems.”

To date, Lynas has produced 451,564 metric tonnes of waste from the water leached purification stream – the most hazardous waste stream that is contaminated with an estimated 880 metric tonnes of long live thorium and 7.7 metric tonnes of uranium – both are radionuclides that are sources of cancer-causing ionising radiation. This stream of waste is also contaminated with heavy metals and arsenic – see the attached summary for details of these elements and their associated health hazards.

“Lynas has claimed that these are naturally occurring elements and are found everywhere in our environment. This is only half of the story. When Lynas mined, milled and chemically processed its lanthanide ore bearing hazardous elements and radionuclides, they are released from their natural shields which have protected them from getting into contact with us and our environment.” Explained Dr. Ir. Tan Ka Kheng, an Environmental researcher and semi-retired professor graduated with PhD from Cambridge University and a MSc from University of California in Berkeley, with a long career in Chemical and Environmental Engineering.
"The low risk radioactivity Lynas has claimed for its operations has not accounted for the biological effects of ionizing radiation and toxic hazards from its contaminants in the waste. These are the real public and industrial hazards.” He clarified.

"These contamination data are from Lynas own monitoring stations, surrounding its waste storage facility and its final waste water discharge point. Bauxite ores from the Gebeng[ Phang Biao Yu, (2017), Geotechnical Properties And Morphological Properties Of Raw And Processed Gebeng Bauxite, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, p.67] area contain 88ppm nickel and Bukit Goh[ Hasan, M. et. al., (2017) Properties of Raw And Processed Bukit Goh Bauxite In Kuantan, Pahang In Accordance With Imsbc Code http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/18925/ p. 5] contains almost undetectable amount of nickel, whereas Lynas’ own WLP waste contain 111mg/kg of nickel[ Environ, 2011, Safety Case of Radiological Waste LAMP. P. 26]. The maximum recorded contamination level of 96,110 µg/l was from Lynas’ sampling stations at its waste water discharge point, labelled as GW13. This reading is over 1000 times higher than the Dutch intervention level of 75 µg/l! That is about 10% of the WLP nickel concentration.” Dr Tan elaborated on the ERC data.

“All of its nickel data exceeded the Dutch limit of 75 g/l. Also the few chromium data available in the Table - 31 µg/l to 266 µg/l - exceeded the Dutch intervention limit of 30 µg/l. Similarly with its lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) data. These are all toxic elements that will adversely affect our environment with serious implications for community health. We need access to all monitoring data to get to the bottom of Lynas’ pollution problems.” He added.

Mr Tan recalled, “As many journalists who attended the ‘Public’ Hearing hosted by the ERC in Kuantan, we have clearly heard DoE and AELB singing Lynas praises, claiming that Lynas has obeyed all laws and has followed international standards for its operations.”

“It is high time the MACC starts to look into how Lynas could get its construction approval and keep getting its operating license renewed even when DoE and AELB have full access to Lynas monitoring data. How long will the Pakatan Harapan Government tolerate serious ground water contaminations and the massive amount of wastes left in such a leaky facility to continue to pollute our environment and to spread hazards to our community. ” Concluded Mr. Tan.


For further comments, please contact:
Mr Tan Bun Teet - Hp: +60 179 730 576
Dr KK Tan – Hp+60 162 874 248
Mr Hon Kai Ping - +60 112 544 7356
Mr Alan Chan – Hp +60 165 028 368

Press statement of Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL)

We Do NOT want another Toxic Legacy, Just Shut Lynas Down!

11th November 2018

Today, the Lynas Review Committee held a public meeting in Kuantan to engage with concerned citizens to get their views on the Australian-owned Lynas rare earth refinery plant in Gebeng. Over 600 people packed into the meeting venue, clearly eagle to send strong messages to the Pakatan Harapan (PH) Government.

“The people have spoken. We voted for PH because we wanted a safe and clean future. We appreciate the challenge for the Government to manage this toxic saga created by the Najib Government. However, as tax payers and citizens of Malaysia, we call on the Government to shut down Lynas now!” said Mr Tan Bun Teet, Chairperson of citizens group, Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL).

Since 2011 when Malaysians learnt of the construction of a massive rare earth refinery plant in Gebeng, near Kuantan, SMSL together with numerous other non-governmental organisations have been campaigning against the wholly Australian-owned operations. Rare earth processing has long been associated with the use of highly hazardous acids and re-agents. Several court cases have been attempted to try to stop the then Najib Government from issuing Lynas Corporation the licence to operate and to leave massive amount of waste contaminated with radioactive materials such as thorium and uranium; hazardous substances including arsenic, cadmium, chromium and lead as well as chemicals, from its refinery plant using ore concentrate from its Australian mine.

Mr Hon Kai Ping, legal adviser for SMSL explained, “As we have heard, Lynas has breached its licensing conditions in so many ways and yet our regulators have done nothing about it. They have instead acted against the interests of our country and the public by facilitating and aiding a foreign company in its wrong doings. There is no justification at all to keep Lynas operating to produce more waste to add more hazards to the country.”

Lynas’ most hazardous waste stream is classified as non-exempt waste containing naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) of low level radioactivity under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) guideline. NORM waste with radioactivity above 1Bq/g has to be regulated and controlled by the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB); and its non-radiological hazards should be monitored and regulated by the Department of Environment (DoE). Lynas’ WLP waste has radioactivity of close to 8Bq/g according to a 2014 UKM research findings, eight times higher than the regulatory exemption


limit. According to a DoE document, over 450 kilo-tonne of WLP waste is now stored next to the refinery plant in dams lined only with thin HDPE plastic.

Mr Tan lamented, “If this is the Lynas’ international safe standard of waste management, then we are doomed. We simply cannot afford to exposed ourselves to this kind of hazards. We are already seeing a toxic legacy piling up every day.”

Since 1991, the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) has long acknowledged the health effects of even low-level radiation exposure above the background level. ICRP has recommended an exposure level of no more than 1 mSv per year above the background for the public, and has drastically reduced the cumulative dose for workers, based on the widely used model of radiation protection - that there is no level of radiation exposure below which we are at zero risk – known as the linear-no-threshold (LNT) approach. Responsible medical organisations have warned that even low-level medical exposures such as chest X-rays (0.04 mSv per test) carry a quantifiable risk of harm. Cancer may not appear for 10-40 years.

“Lynas has operated for over five years now and it is still trying to play down the hazards of its wastes. Malaysia cannot afford to risk having this kind of company operating on our shore.” Mr Hon added.

Lynas has proposed to turn its wastes into various commercial products – from building and road paving materials to a soil filler known as Condisoil. This kind of dilution is only allowed when the radioactivity of the waste is close to the 1Bq/g threshold and if there is NO long live radionuclide. Thorium which is the dominant radionuclide in Lynas’ waste has a half-life of 14 billion years. All of the proposed diluted products by Lynas when released to the market will almost certainly exceed the 1mSv/year cumulative dose limit, posing serious health and environmental risks to the whole of Malaysia.

“The toxic legacy of Bukit Merah was created from monazite from our domestic tin tailing. Malaysia has been and will remain a laughing stock in the eyes of the international community by accepting such a hazardous and raw deal from Lynas, where we not only end up with its waste and pollution, we have even granted a 12-years tax break! How can this be compatible with PH’s manifesto to facilitate a sustainable development pathway for Malaysia?” concluded Mr Tan.

For further comments, please contact:

· Mr Tan Bun Teet - Hp: +60 179 730 576

· Mr Hon Kai Ping – Hp+60 199 530 921

VENUE HAS BEEN CHANGED BY MESTECC

TARIKH : 11 NOVEMBER 2018 (AHAD)

MASA : 9.00 PAGI

TEMPAT : DEWAN CENDANA, ARAS G, HOTEL SRI MANJA BOUTIQUE, BANDAR INDERA MAHKOTA, PAHANG

*Pendaftaran akan dibuka sehingga 9 November 2018 (Jumaat), jam 12.00 malam sahaja.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeWmKkEHEwqM4N4db9H7HGf9J6Roe5wdPu3wrEK6B6_bnz0Vw/viewform?fbclid=IwAR2rni4urC0UN-aRePpDzjXRXJod-CQL6ij-ba9_cJYbuB0CResocdAyvUU 


Public Hearing by Lynas review committee on 11/11/2018 at Bukit Gambang Resort, Kuantan Pahang

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2018/11/05/committee-reviewing-lynas-to-hold-public-hearing-on-nov-11/?fbclid=IwAR3sQ0MoOkTjBKhEwvLXi0tVlFrNBcds-gVeIw4uWOO-fKvcuHR6tr3Djco

Committee reviewing Lynas to hold public hearing on Nov 11
Bernama
- November 5, 2018 11:50 PM
PUTRAJAYA: The Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) operations evaluation executive committee will hold a public hearing on Nov 11 at Bukit Gambang Resort City, Gambang, Pahang.

The energy, science, technology, environment and climate change ministry said the public hearing – scheduled to start at 9am – was to allow stakeholders, including Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd, NGOs, and experts in various fields to clarify concerns about the controversial plant.

“The public is invited to attend to listen for themselves the explanations from all quarters involved,” it said in a statement.

Interested parties can register at: https://tinyurl.com/lynashearing

Registration opens from today till midnight of Nov 9.

The ministry said those intending to attend must also comply with the rules and regulations.

The public can also watch the public hearing live via FB Live on Facebook.
To register for this hearing, please go to the link below :


https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeWmKkEHEwqM4N4db9H7HGf9J6Roe5wdPu3wrEK6B6_bnz0Vw/viewform?fbclid=IwAR18jxKkWLPnAZvA9G5iXZvVxjZqEphuC5Xg_mEEcSmETxjZEamRejXS8CY

PRESS STATEMENT

SAVE MALAYSIA, STOP LYNAS

Save Malaysia, Stop Lynas is deeply disappointed with the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government's decision to extend Lynas' waste storage licence given the hazards of its wastes.

"We are alarmed by the sheer volumes of waste generated so far. Apparently over 450,000 tonnes of the most toxic of Lynas' wastes has been left near the LAMP. If this is the case then there will be over 880 tonnes of thorium in the mix."

"In any country with a responsible government, the refinery would have not been issued any licence to construct the plant, let alone generating so much waste contaminated with radioactive thorium, toxic heavy metals, chemicals and compounds which Lynas has not fully disclosed.”

Even China has better standard since 2010 than Malaysia in managing and regulating its rare earth industry."

Many of us felt cheated for voting for the PH Government thinking that it will make a real difference to make our future safer and cleaner.

Here are the standards China now observes for their Rare Earth’s industry - they have very clearly defined standards for their effluent discharge as well as solid wastes measured in molecular terms.

Each of the chemicals inherent in the effluents and solid wastes are systematically listed and classified accordingly to their toxicity to the waterways and soil.

Here, every time we breathe in the air, we have no idea if Lynas' thorium will be in the air, in the water we drink or in the food we eat.

Everyday Lynas is allowed to operate without a safe storage facility for its toxic waste, our health is put at risk by firstly, the Najib's Government's decision to allow Lynas into Malaysia, and now the PH's Government's failure to do something about that decision that is allowing another toxic legacy to happen at our doorstep.

Internationally, 1Bq/g (Becquerel is the SI derived unit of radioactivity) is the limit of radioactivity for this kind of waste to be exempted for radiation safety control.

Lynas' Water Leached Purification Residue (WLP) is 8 times that limit and our Government believed in Lynas' spin that low level radioactivity is safe.

We cannot accept this and we will continue to fight for our safety and that of future generations' since thorium has a 14 billion year half-life.

We cannot tolerate a known carcinogen - cancer causing substance - to be piled up high so close to populated area, fishing ground and agriculture area.


In a decent civilized country, the Government would not have tolerated the way Lynas' been dumping its hazardous waste in the open where thorium have been carried far and wide by the wind and rain.

More so when we have the annual North Eastern monsoon winds and rains.

The people of Kuantan placed high hopes on the newly elected PH government to correct the wrongs that the previous Barisan Nasional government committed especially in regards to Lynas advanced Materials Plant (LAMP).

Failing to act in the best interests of the people will render this government akin to the previous corrupt one and people will not forget how they have been double crossed.

Name : Tan Bun Teet
Contact : 017-9730576
Position : Chairperson
Save Malaysia, Stop Lynas

END STATEMENT

https://www.finnewsnetwork.com.au/archives/finance_news_network169498.html
Lynas says share price drop due to change in government

Company News

by Anna Napoli May 15, 2018 11:32 AM

Email Alerts for:
ASX:LYC Lynas (ASX:LYC) has attributed yesterday’s 9.5 per cent share price slide to changes in the Malaysian Government.

The rare earths miner says it’s looking forward to working with the new government.

The company also referred to a recent media article which raised concerns about the companies environmental monitoring in its Malaysian plant.

But, Lynas says there are no issues with the governance of its operations.

Shares in Lynas (ASX:LYC) are trading 1.83 per cent higher at $2.50.

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/425358
Special committee on Lynas issue to be set up, says Wong Tack 

Bernama | Published on 16 May 2018, 11:59 am | Modified on Today 12:55 am




A special committee will be set up to review the Lynas issue in the near future, says Himpunan Hijau chairperson and Bentong MP Wong Tack.

Wong said that he was committed to championing the issue of Lynas, which has dragged on for 10 years.

"The establishment of the committee will not only discuss the issue of radioactive pollution by the waste from the Lynas plant, as was previously focused on by the government.

"The committee will also look into issues on the management of waste, verification of licenses owned by Lynas, selection of plant location, and health and environment (issues)," he said when met at a press conference on the issue at the Semambu assemblyperson’s office today.

Also present were Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh, Semambu assemblyperson Lee Chean Chung, and Save Malaysia Stop Lynas chairperson, Tan Bun Teet.

- Bernama

https://www.bharian.com.my/berita/wilayah/2018/05/426507/jawatankuasa-khas-kaji-aspek-keselamatan-kilang-lynas

Jawatankuasa khas kaji aspek keselamatan kilang Lynas
 


AHLI Parlimen Kuantan, Fuziah Salleh (duduk, dua dari kiri), Ahli Parlimen Bentong, Wong Tuck (duduk, tiga dari kiri) dan Pengerusi Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL), Tan Bun Teet (duduk, dua dari kanan) dalam sidang media di pejabat Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Semambu. - Foto Shaharinnahar Ab Latib


Oleh Shahrinnahar Latib
cnews@nstp.com.my

KUANTAN: Kumpulan anti-Lynas hari ini meminta kerajaan Pakatan Harapan (PH) supaya menubuhkan satu jawatankuasa khas untuk mengkaji semula aspek penetapan syarat dan operasi yang dikenakan terhadap kilang memproses nadir bumi itu di Kawasan Perindustrian Gebeng, dekat sini.

Pengerusi Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL), Tan Bun Teet, berkata perkara itu perlu diberi keutamaan kepada kerajaan kerana ia membabitkan soal keselamatan dan kesihatan rakyat di daerah ini.

"Kita harap dapat kaji semula segala aspek keselamatan kilang berkenaan. Kita harap ia dapat dilaksanakan dalam tempoh 100 hari pemerintahan kerajaan baharu ini," katanya pada sidang media di pejabat Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Semambu di sini, hari ini.

Yang turut hadir, Ahli Parlimen Kuantan, Fuziah Salleh, Ahli Parlimen Bentong, Wong Tuck dan Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Semambu, Lee Chean Chung.

Bun Teet berkata, banyak isu yang masih belum selesai, termasuk di mana sisa buangan bahan mineral itu dibuang selain pihak syarikat itu didakwa tidak pernah mengadakan dialog bersama penduduk Kuantan.

"Lynas sebelum ini tidak pernah berdialog dengan warga Kuantan untuk menjelaskan mengenai operasi kilang mereka.

"Justeru, selepas kerajaan baharu dibentuk, saya amat mengharapkan isu ini diberi perhatian kerana ia membabitkan soal keselamatan awam dan alam sekitar," katanya

Sementara itu, Wong Tuck, berkata pihaknya tetap komited memperjuangkan isu Lynas, terutama selepas kerajaan baharu dibentuk malah mesej yang ingin disampaikan adalah jelas iaitu mahu operasi kilang berkenaan mengikut prosedur.

"Kita tidak tahu sejauh mana selamatnya kilang Lynas dan tidak berkompromi terhadap sebarang isu keselamatan awam dan alam sekitar. Usaha secara komprehansif akan dilakukan untuk memastikan kilang itu mematuhi prosedur dari pelbagai aspek,"katanya.

Fuziah pula berkata, beliau menawarkan diri untuk menjadi orang tengah antara Lynas dengan penduduk, NGO dan kerajaan untuk berbincang isu berkenaan.

"Cukuplah Lynas mendapat perlindungan daripada kerajaan sebelum ini. Saya percaya, kerajaan pimpinan Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad tidak akan membiarkan projek seperti Lynas diteruskan jika memberi kesan kepada rakyat dan alam sekitar," katanya.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2018/05/17/mp-pledges-special-committee-to-review-lynas-issue/MP pledges special committee to review Lynas issue

Bernama | May 17, 2018

Bentong MP Wong Tack says the committee will discuss matters including radioactive pollution, waste management and verification of licences owned by Lynas.

Bentong MP Wong Tack says the Lynas issue has dragged on for 10 years now. (File pic)

KUANTAN: Bentong MP Wong Tack has assured that a special committee will soon be set up to review the Lynas issue.

Wong, who is also chairman of Himpunan Hijau, said he was committed to championing the issue which had dragged on for 10 years now.

“The established committee will not only discuss the issue of radioactive pollution by the waste from the Lynas plant, as it was previously focused on by the government.

“The committee will also look into issues on the management of waste, verification of licences owned by Lynas, selection of plant location, health and environment,” he said when met at a press conference at the Semambu state assemblyman’s office here yesterday. Also present were Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh, Semambu assemblyman Lee Chean Chung and Save Malaysia Stop Lynas chairman Tan Bun Teet

http://www.sinarharian.com.my/edisi/pahang/ngo-mahu-isu-lynas-diteliti-1.835219

NGO mahu isu Lynas diteliti

Erma Yusnida Jusoh
16 Mei 2018

             
KUANTAN - Kerajaan diminta meneliti semula isu kilang Lynas dengan mewujudkan jawatankuasa khas untuk mengkaji aspek berkaitan syarat perlesenan dan operasi kilang tersebut.

Pengerusi Badan Bukan Kerajaan (NGO) Save Malaysia Stop Lynas, Tan Boon Teet berkata, pihaknya berharap dalam tempoh 100 hari, kerajaan dapat memberi fokus terhadap isu Lynas.

Menurutnya, banyak isu yang masih belum selesai termasuk di mana sisa buangan dibuang selain tidak pernah mengadakan dialog bersama penduduk Kuantan.

“Lynas sebelum ini tidak pernah berdialog dengan warga Kuantan untuk menjelaskan mengenai operasi kilang mereka.
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“Justeru, selepas kerajaan baru dibentuk, saya amat mengharapkan isu ini diberi perhatian kerana ia melibatkan soal keselamatan awam dan alam sekitar,” katanya kepada pada sidang media di Pusat Khidmat Dun Semambu, di sini, hari ini.

Hadir sama, Ahli Parlimen Bentong, Wong Tuck dan Ahli Parlimen Kuantan, Fuziah Salleh. Wong Tuck bersama Fuziah dan wakil NGO pada sidang media yang diadakan.

Sementara itu, Wong Tuck berkata, pihaknya tetap komited memperjuangkan isu Lynas terutama selepas kerajaan baru dibentuk.

Beliau berkata, mesej yang ingin disampaikan adalah jelas iaitu mahu operasi Lynas mengikut prosedur.

“Kita tidak tahu sejauh mana selamatnya kilang Lynas dan tidak berkompromi terhadap sebarang isu keselamatan awam dan alam sekitar.

“Usaha secara komprehensif akan dilakukan untuk memastikan kilang itu mematuhi prosedur dari pelbagai aspek,” katanya.

Wong Tuck menegaskan, pihaknya akan pastikan rakyat dan persekitaran dilindungi daripada sebarang pencemaran ekoran operandi kilang itu.

Dalam pada itu, Fuziah menawarkan diri untuk menjadi orang tengah antara Lynas dengan penduduk, NGO dan kerajaan untuk berbincang isu tersebut.

Katanya, perkara yang timbul perlu dijelaskan dengan telus.

“Cukuplah Lynas mendapat perlindungan daripada kerajaan sebelum ini.

“Saya percaya, kerajaan pimpinan Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad tidak akan membiarkan projek mega seperti Lynas diteruskan jika memberi kesan kepada rakyat dan alam sekitar,” katanya.

                                                                      En. Tan Bun Teet

 Ahli Parliament Kuantan, Ahli Parliament Bentong, YB Dun Semambu, Himpunan Hijau, Gelombang Hijau & Gerakan Anti Bauxite

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/05/17/mps-want-new-psc-to-probe-lynas/
MPs want new PSC to probe Lynas

Nation

Thursday, 17 May 2018

by ong han sean



Controversial plant: While the MPs claim that a review of Lynas’ safety issues is necessary, they also note that the Government cannot just shut down the plant, as regulations must be followed.


KUANTAN: Two Pakatan Harapan MPs involved in the anti-Lynas movement will push for the setting up of a new parliamentary select committee (PSC) to reopen investigations into the Lynas rare earth refinery here.

Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh said the parameters of the new PSC’s review of the Lynas Advanced Material Plant (LAMP) would have to be redefined, claiming that the previous definition of safety had been skewed towards the narrative that supported Lynas.

“It had always been about radiation before this while waste management was never mentioned.

“They were completely silent on that,” she said here yesterday.

Fuziah added that the previous PSC also did not include the views from opposition MPs.

She said a new committee should be formed to seek opinions from experts and civil society groups.

Bentong MP Wong Tack claimed the previous PSC’s purpose was just to legitimise Lynas’ operations.

“The new PSC will take into consideration the views of stakeholders. We have to be proper and transparent this time,” he said.

Fuziah said the new PSC could only be set up once Parliament reconvenes.

In the meantime, other options are to initiate a caucus or a ministerial committee once the related minister is appointed, she added.

In 2012, the PSC concluded in its report that Lynas should be awarded a temporary operating licence (TOL) after finding that it met the stipulated requirements.

Fuziah also said the Pakatan government could not simply freeze operations at Lynas or shut it down immediately as regulations have to be followed.

“We can only ask to declassify whatever documents we have not seen before this. There are procedures we have to follow,” she added.

Wong said the Government should not go to the extreme when dealing with the matter.

He also said the views of experts would be sought in their review of Lynas’ operations and licensing.
Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/05/17/mps-want-new-psc-to-probe-lynas/#P8g846KKp5f3tzlK.99

UPDATE ON LYNAS LAMP

This is the pic that will give u an idea how big the pile of dredged-up solid waste stored under the roofed structure.



Here is the picture showing the back portion of LAMP with a rather long roof at the forefront and greenish pools at the far end of the picture. The long roof is the covered structure erected recently with its bottom section constructed resembling the existing RSFs. The volume in which the dredged up solid wastes piled up until the roof as can be seen in other photos attached. The picture of YB Cheam Chung standing in front of the structure on this side of the fence will give you a sense of its immense height. Given the length of the structure, one can imagine how much solid wastes had been produced in the years LAMP was operating!

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/05/13/pakatan-to-review-lynas-rare-earth-operations/#803tTlimivOw4OCg.99

Pakatan to review Lynas rare earth operations
Nation Sunday, 13 May 2018 9:16 PM MYT
by ong han sean



File photo of the the Lynas rare earth refinery in Gebeng, near Kuantan.

KUANTAN: The Pakatan Harapan Government will have to review the operation of the Lynas rare earth refinery here, especially its waste management.

Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh said she had asked the anti-Lynas groups to compile documentations on the Lynas issue such as the licensing of the plant in Gebeng here.

"We have to look into the various issues such as licensing, waste management, residue and discharge from the plant and whether we are getting the correct information before this.

"If there is data that is being kept from us, we will open and scrutinise it," she said at a thanksgiving event in celebration of Pakatan's victory here Sunday.

Fuziah said the issue with Lynas was not about closing down the plant but rather about its waste management.

"I have always said that the best practice is to send the waste back. Although the residue has a low radiation level it has a long life. Our duty is protecting the people from being exposed to it in the long term.

"Such radiation will affect not only our health but the ecosystem. It can even go into our food chain," she said.

Fuziah said she would engage with the ministry appointed to oversee the matter as this issue was of utmost priority to her.

"We have to review everything such as the lack of a permanent disposal facility that has been promised by the previous ministers. They got away without doing it," she claimed.

"We know the law does not allow transportation of radioactive material across countries so the people have been fooled by the media all this while. The media covered up this issue, telling the people Lynas is safe," she said.

Fuziah added that the best solution was a permanent disposal facility and not merely storing the waste in Kuantan's "backyard".

Also present was Teruntum assemblyman Sim Chon Siang, who had been re-elected for his second term.
Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/05/13/pakatan-to-review-lynas-rare-earth-operations/#ecaPQQUB5KVK5wc6.99

https://voiz.asia/en/32355

A decade on, the opposition against Lynas is still strong

by FG Media | Apr 19, 2018 | Branded Content, news | 0 comments


Malaysia is a warm and welcoming county. Rarely does her people rally in force against a corporation. Rarer still that such active protests persist for more than a decade, unrelenting. Anti-Lynas sentiments emerged soon after the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) project was approved in 2007. This was not unexpected, as no one wants to risk radioactive exposure from having a potentially hazardous rare earth refinery in one’s backyard. However, the slight negative sentiment and concern escalated to numerous nationwide demonstrations by 2012 when the plant commenced operations. Today, the anti-Lynas movement is still very much alive.



image source earthfirstjournal.org

Why such ire over Lynas?
Here’s some background.

April 2007 

the Malaysian Minister of Finance approved Australian-based Lynas Corp’s Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) project with a package of special incentives, including “pioneer” status and a 12-year tax holiday.

February 2008

the State of Pahang Department of Environment (DOE) approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for LAMP to be located in Gebeng, Kuantan. The Atomic Energy Licensing Board of Malaysia (AELB) approved the Siting and Construction Licence following an approval recommendation from the Licensing Division of the AELB. The Kuantan Local Council also approved the Development Order application.

January 2012

AELB approved a temporary operating licence (TOL) for LAMP. This was challenged by residents in court on the grounds that it breached the Environmental Quality Act 1974, among others. The issuance of TOL was withheld pending the outcome of a hearing of an appeal by a group of residents to the Science, Technology and Innovation Minister in April.

September 2012

LAMP was granted a two-year TOL effective 3 September 2012, with a safe deposit of US$50 million and five conditions, including disclosure of a permanent deposit facility (PDF) for the storage of the plant’s radioactive water leached purification (WLP) waste.



Note that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in its 2011 report had recommended that a PDF be identified before an operating licence is awarded to LAMP. AELB had granted a temporary stay on this condition; Lynas promised to comply within 10 months of LAMP’s operations. The TOL was arguably granted on the excuse that AELB needed to collect data on the various areas of LAMP’s operations including wastes produced.

As of today, Lynas has yet to identify the location of the PDF. Neither has there been any public notifications, publications or announcements by AELB on the issue.

LAMP entered production in 2013, producing 1,089 tonnes of rare-earth oxides in the first quarter of 2014, with a target of 11,000 tonnes per annum.

Despite the numerous protects, Lynas was on 2 September 2014 issued a two-year Full Operating Stage License (FOSL) by AELB. The licence was renewed in September 2016 for another three years despite calls to examine the non fulfilment of terms and written undertakings by Lynas to either recycle the radioactive WLP waste into industrial by-products or ship them overseas.

LAMP is designed to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 8,000 hours a year, with a lifespan of 20 years. Each hour it produces approximately 36 tonnes ( dry weight) of solid wastes. The total volume of solid wastes that will be produced by LAMP prior to its decommissioning after 20 years is approximately 5.76 million tonnes! To put this figure into perspective, it is 15.6 times the weight of the steel used in the Petronas twin towers. The waste produced by LAMP over 20 years can fill Bukit Jalil Stadium 18 times over!

https://voiz.asia/en/32431

Is Lynas’ handling of radioactive wastes satisfactory?

by FG Media | Apr 20, 2018 | Branded Content, news | 0 comments


Say radiation and the image of contorted babies with missing or extra limbs come to mind — not a pretty picture.

Though radiation has plenty of safe practical uses as well — think x-rays, sterilisation of medical equipment, smoke detectors and even food irradiation — “radioactive exposure” connotes Fukushima horrors before all else.

Thus, it is understandable that when Australian Lynas Corp set up a rare earth refinery on our shores where it will use radioactive feedstock and generate tonnes of radioactive waste, many were alarmed and protests swiftly followed.

Today, many still find Lynas’ solution for its radioactive wastes unsatisfactory.



How dangerous are these wastes?

Based on Lynas’ its Radioactive Waste Management Plan (RWMP) submitted on 30 December 2011, every tonne of rare earth oxide it produces will be an accompanied by 13.41 tonnes of solid residues — 7.93 tonnes Neutralisation Underflow Residue (NUF), 2.63 tonnes Flue Gas Desulfurisation (FGD) and 2.85 tonnes Water Leached Purification Residue (WLP).

After the visit by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Review team in 2014, the NUF and FGD with radioactivity below 1 Bq/g were dropped from the regulatory control of Atomic Energy Licensing Board of Malaysia (AELB). They were classified as clear waste and placed under the Department of Environment’s (DOE) purview.

The worrisome residue it WLP, which has a radioactivity of 7.98 Bq/g. In 2014, an experiment to extract the radioactive Thorium from WLP conducted by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) proved to be non-viable. However, the experiment revealed that the radioactivity of WLP was much higher than that declared earlier by Lynas.

Lynas’ website says: “Our residues are not wastes – they have tremendous potential as safe commercial products”. In its RWMP, Lynas had proposed to recycle all its solid wastes into industrial by-products. It even had an impressive timeline of R&D and commercialisation over 2012-2015. Key products/applications included plaster board and cement manufacturing, road base, fertilizers, and soil remediation. In fact, Lynas had in many occasions said there would be little need for a permanent deposit facility (PDF) for its wastes as they would all be recycled!



This picture demonstrates the comparative size of LAMP’s waste to that of a full-sized adult

To date, nothing has been commercialised. Lynas still appears to be struggling to find a solution for its fast-growing solid residues. It all boils down to a single product, a soil enhancer called CondiSoil, for which it received SIRIM’s seal of approval last year.

However, the proposed mixture of 1:2:7 of WLP: NUF: FGD will leave behind large quantities of unused radioactive WLP for lack of FGD to go with it to create CondiSoil — using all the FGD to make CondiSoil would only use up 13.18% of WLP. This begs the question of what Lynas intends to do with the remaining 86.82% of its radioactive WLP? A PDF would be needed to safely store it, no?

One also can’t help but wonder if the ratio was such as to enable the WLP to be watered down to under 1 Bq/gm so that it will no longer be considered radioactive by AELB. Recycling of radioactive wastes through dilution is never allowed or practiced anywhere else in the world!

Moreover, to entrust and seek approval from SIRIM on Condisoil’s safe usage is totally misplaced. SIRIM is the body that appraises and evaluates proposed industrial standards drafted by relevant professional bodies before they become Malaysian Standards. Does the SIRIM approval mean CondiSoil would become the Malaysian Standard for recycled radioactive wastes? Would this set a precedent among other industries churning out radioactive wastes to also “mix” their radioactive wastes, give it a fancy name and pass it off as a safe recycled industrial by-product?

https://voiz.asia/en/32518

Some things just require a higher level of accountability

by FG Media | Apr 23, 2018 | Branded Content, news | 0 comments


In one word, radioactive. In two words, Bukit Merah.

Rare earth mining and refining has a unenviable association with serious environmental problems. After the tragedy in Bukit Merah, caused by the lax radioactive waste management by rare earth refiner Asian Rare Earth Sdn Bhd, the Malaysian public is understandably very concerned and demands assurance that radioactive wastes from the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) in Gebeng, Kuantan is properly disposed of.

Lynas has repeatedly maintained it “has successfully met all licence conditions relating to operations and environmental performance” and that it is “strongly committed to open and transparent communication with all our stakeholders”.

Many remain unassured. Why is that?

For starters, after more than five years in operation, Lynas has yet to identify the location of a permanent deposit facility (PDF) for the storage of its radioactive wastes. Neither has there been any public notifications, publications or announcements by the Atomic Energy Licensing Board of Malaysia (AELB) on the issue. Note that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in its 2011 report had recommended that a PDF be identified before an operating licence is awarded to LAMP.

Malaysia’s Land Code forbids the usage of any land as PDF of radioactive wastes. As AELB should be keenly aware of that, this indicates the regulator’s acceptance of Lynas’ bold claims that it could safely recycle all its wastes, including the radioactive water leached purification (WLP) waste. Given the nature of radioactive wastes, is that even possible?

Lynas’ engagement with stakeholders is arguably also lacking.

True Lynas has held exhibitions, organised some community activities, and opened its doors for visits from the press and stakeholders. But many questions remain unanswered.

There has been repeated calls for Lynas to have a more in-depth dialogue with stakeholders, such as via a public forum, to address issues of concern, especially its radioactive waste management. Lynas CEO Amanda Lacaze had seemed open to the idea of a public forum after the International Trade and Industry Minister suggested it in 2016, giving the impression it plans to conduct such a forum, “preferably before year-end”.

When the issue of a public forum was pursued again, Lacaze pointed to the company’s website: “Information on our residue management is available in the following sections of our website www.lynascorp.com — Commitments & Responsibilities / Residue Management, and News / Media Briefing at Community Event.” (Note: the website’s layout and sections have changed since.)




Alas, some information found on its website raises even more questions!

Notably, the website does not state the volume of wastes Lynas produces. Formulation of its soil enhancer, called CondiSoil, could not be found either.

In its Radioactive Waste Management Plan (RWMP) submitted on 30 December 2011, Lynas had proposed to recycle all its solid wastes into industrial by-products. It had shared an impressive timeline of R&D and commercialisation over 2012-2015. Key products/applications included plaster board and cement manufacturing, road base, fertilizers, and soil remediation. As CondiSoil now seems to be the sole residue-derived product on its plate, Lynas needs to share more on how this product helps it to recycle its radioactive wastes.

If Lynas is being seen a villain, it has no one to blame but itself. Turning a deaf ear to the repeated requests for a dialogue from the community LAMP is operating in is a demonstration of haughty arrogance at best, or worse, hiding something that cannot stand up to exposure. Given the lack of disclosure and details on CondiSoil, Lynas looks suspiciously like trying to pull wool over the public’s eyes.




Yes legally, Lynas has complied with all the required rules and regulations, for now. AELB concurs.

But morally, Lynas has failed us.

Unless Lynas can assure us to the contrary, it will remain accused of processing rare earths in Malaysia — some 4,000 nautical miles from where they are mined, no less — only so that it can leave us the toxic wastes because its own country does not want them while being handsomely compensated (e.g. 12-year tax holiday) by our own government for the deed! Indeed, the distrust for Lynas has made the people to also distrust the authorities charged with protecting us from radioactive harm. They failed us re Bukit Merah; they could just fail us again — that it the fear.