Imported phosphate fertilisers just as radioactive as Lynas wastes, says expert
Robin Augustin - FMT
December 28, 2018 9:03 AM
PETALING JAYA: While there has been wide publicity over the hazards posed by the wastes from the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) in Pahang, a consultant physician said tonnes of phosphate fertilisers imported into the country every year for agricultural activities are just as radioactive.
Dr Looi Hoong Wah, a fellow of the Academy of Medicine of Malaysia, said the phosphate fertilisers contained uranium, radium and small doses of thorium of between 2-7 becquerels per gramme.
Speaking in his personal capacity, Looi said Lynas’ residue, which also had phosphorus, contained mostly thorium and a “negligible” amount of uranium and radium amounting to 6 becquerels per gramme, meaning it was “very low” in radiation. “In Australia it is considered non-radioactive and this is why it can be exported.”
He said the push for Lynas to export the residue from Malaysia was “a wasted opportunity” at a time when natural supply of phosphorus was declining at an alarming rate. “Lynas’s residue contains phosphorus and we are not utilising it, and we want to throw it away. In the meantime, we are buying low-quality phosphorus containing uranium and radium.”
He said there was “no doubt” that the phosphate fertiliser which could be obtained from Lynas’ residue was “far superior” to the phosphate fertiliser imported into the country and that utilising this would help save millions of ringgit in imported fertilisers.
Looi, who earlier specialised in radiology and radiotherapy, urged the government to amend the Radiation Protection (Transportation) Regulations 1989 which appeared to be based on the “outdated” International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) 1985 Transport Regulations. “Because of this regulation, any material that contains uranium and thorium with combined radioactivity of just 1 becquerel per gramme needs to be regulated by the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB).”
Citing IAEA’s standards, Looi said anything under 10 becquerels per gramme was safe to be transported.
He said Malaysia needed to keep up with the times and international standards to match the more advanced countries.
In recent weeks, Lynas, the only rare earths processor outside China, has been facing public pressure to remove its residue from its plant in Gebeng, Kuantan.
However, Lynas, which has defended the safety of its plant, said that the requirement for the company to export its residue was the last option stipulated by AELB if it failed to build a permanent disposal facility (PDF).
Lynas has said it would build the PDF as recommended by Putrajaya’s review committee regarding the company’s operations here.
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