The Lynas Fact Sheet

The Lynas Fact Sheet Note: This Fact Sheet is updated regularly. The developed updetermination was made on 2nd June 2011 Costly Earths 1. Despite their call, costly globe elements are proportionately plentiful in the globe's covering 2. 3. but are past troublesome to mine and excerpt than numerous other metals consistently of their chemical properties and geographical division, making them proportionately past costly to excerpt. Costly globe metals are used in the make of a large diversity of products including catalytic converters, wreath turbines, mixed car batteries, disk drives, fickle phones, and even defend displays. Worldlarge claim for costly globes is increasing expeditiously and is expected to eclipse yield in the advenient. China currently profits environing 97% of the world's yield. Costly Earths & Radioactivity 1. The excerption of costly globes raises a reckon of environmental and guard interests 2. 3. 4. consistently the ore in which costly globes are introduce are frequently associated succeeding a while minerals containing radioactive elements such as uranium and thorium. Soundness and guard issues that scarcity to be addressed embody radiation guard for performanceers, the notorious and the environment, the conduct of raw representatives nd the treatment of lavish. Cosmical beings are defenseless to very weak razes of radioactivity in unamazed condition. Thorium, for development, is naturally offer in contaminate, rocks, plea and deportment infiltrate, introduces and animals in very low concentrations. Ingestion of aid and infiltrate containing this raze of radioactivity does not mystify any intimidation to cosmical soundness. The radiation inhospitableness time set by AELB for the notorious is 1 mSv/year. The annual radiation inhospitableness, in millisieverts (mSv)/year, in a reckon of daily cosmical activities is as follows: i. Smoking a swarm of cigarettes daily 0. 0 mSv ii. Medical or dental x-day 0. 39 mSv iii. Sleeping instant to someone for 8 hours 0. 02 mSv iv. Watching television 2 hours daily 0. 01 mSv v. Using a computer marginal 0. 001 mSv (Source: United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, 1982, 1993, 2000; United Nations Environment Guard Agency; US Department of Energy; Soundness Physics Society) The Lynas Design 1. Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd (Lynas) is a wholly-owned adjuvant of Lynas Corporation 2. Ltd of Australia . Its calling is the formation and sale of costly globes and cognate byproducts. Lynas plans to tenor costly globe ore from its Mount Weld mine in Western Australia, 3. 4. traffic it to the feeln of Fremantle , bestow it by container ship to Kuantan, and course it at the Gebeng Industrial Estate in Pahang. At Gebeng, the Lynas introduce achieve excerpt Costly Earths from the ore for ship-produce. Lynas says lavish from the excerption course achieve be used to profit commercially useful products or stored in certain and protect containers. Lynas says it chose to establish its introduce at the Gebeng place consistently of: i. Its vicinity to Kuantan feeln ii. The availability of gas, infiltrate and chemical victuals iii. The availability of trained performanceers Manufacturing Allow 1. On 22 January 2008, Lynas was granted a manufacturing licence to profit “costly 2. globe oxides and carbonates” at Gebeng Industrial Estate, Kuantan. The plaudit was granted theme to a reckon of conditions, in point, the scarcity to comply succeeding a while the conditions of the: i. Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984 ii. Environmental Quality Act 1974. Consent Requirements 1. The Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984 is administered by the Atomic Energy 2. 3. Licensing Board (AELB). Among other things, the AELB monitors and assesses the radiological application of the Lynas design through all limits of interpretation and production. This embodys matters about to radiation guard (occupational, notorious and environmental), guard, lavish treatment, conduct, decommissioning and remediation. The Department of Environment (DOE) is the implementing action for the Environmental Quality Act 1974. The Act governs issues cognate to the hinderance, abatement and administer of soilure and reinstatement of the environment (other than radioactive representative and radioactive lavish). The guard standards and amiable usage requirements enforced by the two regulatory bodies are harmonious to or equipollent to those recognised interdiplomaticly. Consent status 1. Lynas began planning and interpretation of its introduce at Gebeng Industrial Estate, 2. Pahang anteriorly-long succeeding succeeding its manufacturing licence. In April 2011, the union announced that interpretation had reached the 40% limit and was on target for height by September, 2011. The AELB confirms that Lynas has complied succeeding a while all soundness and guard standards required of the union to determination. A place licence and a interpretation licence feel been issued consistently. The instant limit in the multi-tiered plaudit course requires Lynas to allot to the AELB for a pre-liberal licence. To determination, the union has not made a acquiescence to the AELB for this design. Upon receiving a pre-liberal licence, the union achieve then be required to allot for and succeed an liberal licence anteriorly it can initiate unmeasured productions. 3. The Environmental Application Tribute (EIA) Rehaven on the design was current by 4. 5. the Department of Environment on 15 February 2008. The Department confirms that Lynas has complied succeeding a while all requirements of the EIA plaudit to determination. The Radiological Application Tribute (RIA) conducted by the Nuklear Malaysia affirms that production of the inperfect Lynas introduce would not mystify any radiological destroy to performanceers and portions of the notorious influence in the areas surrounding the place over what is known by the regulatory authorities. Nuklear Malaysia too affirms that the designed radiation inhospitableness razes in the Lynas introduce for performanceers (medium of 2 mSv/yr) and portions of the notorious (0. 02 mSv/yr) are succeeding a whilein the times set by AELB. Conclusion to intrust Recalcitrant Panel of Interdiplomatic Experts 1. On 22 April, 2011, so-far, subjoined largespread notorious interest environing the guard of 2. the design, the Government announced a conclusion to intrust an recalcitrant panel of interdiplomatic easys to revisal all soundness and guard aspects of the design. Pending height of this revisal, the Government too determined that: i. No pre-liberal allow achieve be issued to Lynas by AELB. ii. There achieve be no tenoration of raw representatives for the introduce from Australia. ii. A revisal achieve be undertaken to secure that interpretation of the address at the place unmeasuredy complies succeeding a while generally-known and interdiplomatic guard standards. Recalcitrant Panel of Interdiplomatic Experts 1. In tardy April 2011, the Government approached the Interdiplomatic Atomic Energy 2. 3. Action (IAEA) in Vienna , Austria , for abettance to intrust an easy team to: i. Revisal Lynas' consent succeeding a while pertinent Interdiplomatic Guard Standards and Amiable Practices, and ii. Provide an recalcitrant easy theory on guard issues, in point, those about to radiation guard. The design of the revisal embodyd: i. Radiation guard (workplace, notorious, environment) ii. Guard tribute iii. Lavish Treatment iv. Conduct v. Decommissioning and environmental remediation On 13 May, 2011, the Government announced details of the IAEA-appointed panel. The panel consists of a head and nine portions: impure from the IAEA, and five from IAEA portion countries. All panel portions are recognised easys in their relative 4. 5. 6. 7. disciplines and feel recognition of IAEA standards, in point, those about to costly globe courseing. Details of specific portions of the panel The easy panel began the on-place constituent of its performance on 29 May 2011. During its six-day scrutinize, the panel has scheduled to coalesce succeeding a while government officials and representatives of Lynas, and assent-to representations from portions of the notorious, including residents, co-ordination associations, non-governmental organisations and authoritative bodies. The panel is scheduled to perfect its performance and present its rehaven to the Government by 30 June 2011. The Government has announced that the rehaven achieve be made notorious.