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The bitter history of Malaysia’s Bukit Merah rare earths project.

Some of the surviving residents of Bukit Merah are still plagued with severe health problems. Until this very day, the Malaysian authorities refuse to acknowledge that the radioactive waste was responsible for the sudden escalation of health problems among the residents

Today, the government is the official custodian of this repository in Bukit Merah. This site in Bukit Merah is declared as a restricted and dangerous dump site for radioactive materials but a curtain of official silence has descended on it. Has the government not learnt from Bukit Merah?

The Lynas project is likely to be a replay of the ARE fiasco but on a much larger scale.

The benefits gained by Malaysia from the Lynas investment are very little relative to the risks involved. Whilst the profits of the project go to Lynas (untaxed) and the few Malaysian companies that are involved in the construction of and the provision of supplies to the Gebeng rare earth plant, the radioactive waste will remain in
Malaysian soil for hundreds of years.

Lynas issue: Not learning from bitter experience —The Malaysian Insider,  Richard Pendragon, April 12, 2012 “……..Bukit Merah The history of the rare earth industry in Malaysia is little known to most Malaysians. Most Malaysians in fact think that the Lynas project in Pahang is the first time Malaysia has been associated with this industry.
Few Malaysians actually know that there was a rare earth plant in Bukit Merah, Perak, which has been closed some 10 or more years ago, following a ruling by the High Court of Malaysia that the company involved was in negligence, and that the radioactive waste generated by the plant was dangerous and had to be removed and secured in a safe
place away from people for hundreds of years.

The evidence of the hazardous legacy of this rare earth plant is still present in our midst as a reminder to every one of the risks involved. Continue reading →

April 13, 2012 Posted by | environment, history, Malaysia, Reference, Uranium, wastes | 2 Comments

Unacceptable risks of thorium

Lynas issue: Not learning from bitter experience —The Malaysian Insider,  Richard Pendragon, April 12, 2012 “…..Unacceptable risks of thorium “No monetary returns of whatever Foreign Direct Investment and its spinoffs can outweigh possible radiation and/or other health risks,
which can wreak harm on our citizens, perhaps for as long as the half-lives of some of the extremely toxic radionuclide waste products —which in some cases might be ‘forever’!”

Dr David KL Quek, President, Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), May 26, 2011 One of the most contentious issues with the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant is the thorium (Th) by-product. Exposure to Thorium can cause cancer posing serious risks to workers at the LAMP and surrounding communities. Studies have shown that inhaling thorium dust causes an increased risk of developing lung cancer, and cancer of the pancreas. Bone cancer risk is also increased because thorium may be stored in bone. Thorium has a half life of 14 billion years and is easily transported and spread through wind and water.

Lynas will be processing 10 times the amount of ore compared to the ARE. Despite Lynas’ public proclamation of “Zero Harm” commitment there is no foolproof containment measures for such toxic residue for workers onsite at the LAMP. It should be noted that the ores that Chinese miners were exposed to in Bayun Obo Rare-Earth and Iron Mine
contained 400 ppm of thorium. The rare earth oxide concentrates that will be arriving shortly at Kuantan port will have 1600 ppm of thorium. The US Public Health Service (1990) reports that the natural background level in soil is typically 6 ppm of thorium.
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/lynas-issue-not-learning-from-bitter-experience-richard-pendragon

April 13, 2012 Posted by | environment, Malaysia, Uranium | Leave a comment

Radioactive particles in ocean and atmosphere arriving at California

seaweed along California’s coastline is already measuring 500 times higher in radioactive iodine.

Fukushima Radiation Coming Soon to a Coastline Near You, Take Part, 9 April 12, “……. It turns out the Japanese are not the only ones worried about radiation exposure one year after the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plants flooded and melted down. Californians are now number two on the list. Continue reading →

April 11, 2012 Posted by | environment, USA | Leave a comment

Fukushima evacuees will be returning to a still contaminated zone

Decontamination needed even after residents return, The Yomiuri Shimbun, 10 April 12, If decontamination work does not continue for a certain period in areas highly contaminated by radioactive substances from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, returning residents will be exposed to at least 100 millisieverts of accumulated radiation over 30 years, the Science Council of Japan said Monday. Continue reading →

April 11, 2012 Posted by | environment, Japan | Leave a comment

Los Angeles gets radioactive rain

(includes video) Radioactive Rain Detected in Los Angeles, LA Weekly ,  .http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2012/04/radiation_rain_los_angeles_fukushima.php  5 April 12,  Rain and mist that fell in Los Angeles last weekend was five times as radioactive as normal, environmental journalist and LA Weekly contributor Michael Collins reported on his website this week.

Collins tests samples with his own equipment and says that, on Saturday, he measured the highest proportion of radioactivity in the local environment since he began monitoring the local fallout from the Japanese Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster in March of 2011:

One misty rain sample collected in downtown Santa Monica was over five times normal background radiation, the highest level in Los Angeles Basin rain since this reporter began sampling and testing different media March 15, 2011, four days after the Fukushima Daiichi meltdowns begin.

He called the findings “shocking” and said his readings would qualify that sample as a hazardous material under the California Highway Patrol’s protocols.

Even background radiation Saturday night, which had apparently diminished significantly since his earlier sample, was 30 percent “hotter” than normal, he says.  Time for a good umbrella? Read more here.

.http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2012/04/radiation_rain_los_angeles_fukushima.php

April 6, 2012 Posted by | environment, USA | Leave a comment

Radiation in sea life 600 km beyond Fukushima

the marine radiation levels are comparable to those seen after past accidents, such as Chernobyl accident in 1986.  

Radioactive material from Fukushima nuclear reactor tracked 600 km away, THe Economic Times, 3 April 12   WASHINGTON: Scientists have found radioactive material from the crippled Fukushima nuclear reactor in tiny sea creatures and ocean water some 600 km off the coast of Japan, revealing the extent of the release and the direction pollutants might take in a future environmental disaster.  Continue reading →

April 4, 2012 Posted by | oceans | 3 Comments

Gordon Brown claims Dalgety Beach radiation more dangerous than estimated before

Brown claims evidence of ‘disturbing’ radiation risk at Dalgety Bay The former prime minister is handing over a dossier to the MoD highlighting the heightened danger of radiation. News STV, 25 March 2012 Former prime minister Gordon Brown says he has
seen new evidence of “disturbing” levels of radiation at a Fife beach where wartime military aircraft were incinerated. Continue reading →

March 26, 2012 Posted by | environment, UK | Leave a comment

Malaysia’s old closed rare earths refinery still radioactive decades later

Radiation still high at closed rare earth refinery? Selangor Times,  Basil Foo, 23 Mar 2012 IPOH: Save Malaysia, Stop Lynas (SMSL) activists claimed high doses of radiation were found at the former Bukit Merah rare earth refinery site last Saturday  “The radiation emission here is 2.0 millisievert (mSv) per year. If we hang around here long enough, our health will be affected,” said SMSL chairperson Tan Bun Teet.

They took radiation readings using a Japanese-made Environmental Radiation Monitor at the entrance to the former refinery site, which was ringed by concrete walls and metal gates. According to the Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984 Radiation Protection (Basic Safety Standards Regulations 1988), the annual dose limit for a member of the public is 1 mSv.

Tan said the dangers of radiation were well-known – from the testimonies of former workers at the Bukit Merah refinery whose children developed deformities. Continue reading →

March 24, 2012 Posted by | environment, Malaysia | Leave a comment

U.N. to investigate effects on Marshall Islanders of USA’s atomic bomb tests

UN to assess Marshall Islands nuclear effects ABC Asia Pacific News,  22 Mar 2012  A United Nations expert will visit the Marshall Islands next week to assess adverse effects of the nuclear testing undertaken by the United States between 1946 and 1958.

”It will be an exceptional opportunity to assess how the Marshallese peoples’ basic rights including the right to food, adequate housing and health have been affected,” Calin Georgescu, special rapporteur on the human rights obligations related to environmental issues, said in a press release.

Mr Georgescu is to present the conclusions of his March 26-30 visit to the UN Human Rights Council in September, possibly including recommendations to the governments of the Marshall Islands and the United States. http://abcasiapacificnews.com/stories/201203/3461159.htm

March 24, 2012 Posted by | environment, OCEANIA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Uranium mining threatens water supply

even a small spill could affect the water supply for growing populations in North Carolina, and that radioactive mill waste would have to be monitored forever.

Water worries continue to flow around uranium controversy  Go Dan River, 21 March 12, Residents and leaders downstream of a proposed uranium site in Pittsylvania County say they bear risks from the project, but have nothing to gain. Continue reading →

March 22, 2012 Posted by | Uranium, USA, water | Leave a comment

Rare earths processing – a potent environmental polluter

China’s rare earths refineries…… have poisoned rivers with acid and piled up radioactive waste — an environmental cost that aroused little controversy in developed, consuming nations

Malaysian protesters blame an earlier rare earths plant, shut by Japan’s Mitsubishi Chemicals in 1992, for birth defects and a high number of leukemia cases……

Environmental campaigners point to studies done in both New Jersey and China showing that thorium radiation emitted during the refining process and by plant waste can cause cancer, leukemia, birth defects and chronic lung diseases.

Pollution the big barrier to freer trade in rare earths Al Arabiya News,, 19 March 2012 Environmental campaigners point to studies done in both New Jersey and China showing that thorium radiation emitted during the refining process and by plant waste can cause cancer, leukemia, birth defects and chronic lung diseases.

Tackling pollution, not freeing up trade, is regarded as the solution to a global shortage of rare earths, the metals that are the building blocks of the 21st century.  Continue reading →

March 20, 2012 Posted by | China, environment, Uranium | Leave a comment

The hidden danger of radioactive scrap metal

Chronic exposure to low doses of radiation can lead to cataracts, cancer and birth defects, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A 2005 study of more than 6,000 Taiwanese who lived in apartments built with radioactive reinforcing steel from 1983 to 2005 showed a statistically significant increase in leukemia and breast cancer….

Nuclear Risks at Bed, Bath & Beyond Show Hidden Danger of Scrap Bloomberg, By Jonathan Tirone and Andrew MacAskill – Mar 20, 2012 Going shopping? Don’t forget your wallet and credit card. Or Geiger counter.

The discovery of radioactive tissue boxes at Bed, Bath & Beyond Inc. (BBBY) stores in January raised alarms among nuclear security officials and company executives over the growing global threat of contaminated scrap metal. Continue reading →

March 20, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, environment, USA | Leave a comment

Radioactive isotopes in ocean plankton, from Fukushiam

 follow-up studies will be necessary because the radioactive cesium is likely to have accumulated in fish that eat plankton, the team said

In the latest survey, the team also found cesium-134 — which has a two-year half-life — in plankton at the same levels as cesium-137, whose half-life is three decades.

Cesium found in plankton almost 375 miles from Fukushima nuclear plant, Boston Herald, By The Yomiuri Shimbun http://news.bostonherald.com/news/international/asia_pacific/view/20120318cesium found_in_plankton_almost_375_miles_from_fukushima_nuclear_plant/srvc=home&position=recent,March 18, 2012 – TOKYO — Radioactive cesium believed to have been released during the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Japan following last year’s major earthquake has been found in plankton about 600 kilometers (nearly 375 miles) east of the facility, according to a Japan-U.S. joint research team. Continue reading →

March 19, 2012 Posted by | Japan, oceans | Leave a comment

Former UK Prime Minister Brown wants full cleanup of radioactivity on Scotland’s coast

Bay radiation clean-up plan agreed Google News, (UKPA) – 17 March 12, A plan has been agreed to deal with radioactive particles found on an area of Scottish coastline. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) have agreed a plan to treat Dalgety Bay in Fife. “Significant” sources of radiation were discovered at the bay on the Firth of Forth coast earlier this year.

The contamination is thought to stem from residue of radium-coated instrument panels used on military aircraft which were incinerated and land-filled in the area at the end of the Second World War….

. Former prime minister Gordon Brown, who has campaigned for the bay to be cleaned up, welcomed the statement but said a timetable of action should be drawn up. Mr Brown said: “I and the community council are clear that we need a full statement of the discovery of radiation particles in the area and we need not only a plan for continuous monitoring but a plan for the removal of radioactive particles and either a sea wall or other remedial work to prevent particles causing safety fears again.
“When I meet the Secretary of State for Defence next Monday on 26th March I will be asking for a timetable for a clean-up plan for the area that can be implemented as soon as possible. This, and this alone, can lift the threat of a designation order that would label
Dalgety Bay a radiation contaminated area. None of us want this to happen and it is up to the Ministry of Defence to take action to prevent this misfortune.” http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hvuc1afMQN0gtJUmg2Ng3wNH02TA?docId=N1157191331927522285A

March 17, 2012 Posted by | environment, UK | Leave a comment

The damaging impact of Indian Point Nuclear Plant on river fish

NRC Finds New Environmental Data on Indian Point, Scarsdale, by Jessica Glenza   BUCHANAN, N.Y. 15 March 12,  – New environmental impact data of Indian Point Nuclear Power Plants’ effect on Hudson River aquatic organisms prompted the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to begin a supplemental environmental impact statement. The supplement is in addition to the impact statement already required for the two reactors’ license renewal proceedings.

The NRC cited three reasons for the supplemental statement; new data provided by Entergy regarding how many fish are killed or trapped against cooling water intakes, the thermal plume created by warm water ejected from the plant into the Hudson River and new developments with regard to endangered species.

“It’s not that uncommon for us to do a supplemental environmental impact statement, these reviews can take years,” said Neil Sheehan, spokesperson for the NRC about reviews for license renewal. “The listing of the Atlantic sturgeon is obviously a very new piece of information.”

In January, the National Marine Fisheries listed Hudson River Atlantic sturgeon populations as endangered.  Data provided by Entergy refers to “impingement” and “entrainment” of fish in the once-through cooling water intakes. “Impingment” refers to the trapping of fish against intake screens, “entrainment” refers to smaller fish that go through the intake’s traveling screens and are killed in the plants’ cooling systems, which use up to 2.5 billion gallons of river water per day….. http://www.thedailyscarsdale.com/news/nrc-finds-new-environmental-data-indian-point

March 16, 2012 Posted by | environment, USA, water | 1 Comment

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