Tuesday 28 February 2012

Lynas Rare Earth and Controversy

The Lynas rare earth issue and controversy. What is Lynas?


Lynas Corporation, Ltd. is an Australian rare earths mining company, listed on the Australian Securities Exchange as a S&P/ASX 200 company. It has two major operations: a mining and concentration plant at Mount WeldWestern Australia, and a refining facility now under construction at KuantanMalaysia.




"The LAMP at Kuantan is being built with support from the Malaysian government,with "pioneer" status including a 12-year tax exemption.The ore processing will annually yield several thousand tonnes of waste product (gypsum) which contains high concentrations of thorium, a radioactive element.



Concerns regarding the short and long term storage of this waste material, politicised in the context of forthcoming parliamentary elections, fueled widespread protests in Malaysia in 2011.According to a New York Times report whistle blower engineers claimed that short cuts were taken on the construction of the LAMP including the use of cheaper standard steel instead of the more expensive materials to deal with the slightly radioactive, super heated and highly corrosive slurry used in the plant."






The Lynas rare earth processing plant in Gebeng, Kuantan

Read more: Nuke expert: Lynas plant is safe - General - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/local/general/nuke-expert-lynas-plant-is-safe-1.51982#ixzz1nkguVPMa





Radioactive : "Radioactive wastes are wastes that contain radioactive material, Radioactive waste is hazardous to most forms of life and the environment, and is regulated by government agencies in order to protect human health and the environment. Radioactivity diminishes over time, so waste is typically isolated and stored for a period of time until it no longer poses a hazard. The period of time waste must be stored depends on the type of waste"


The Lynas issue is a problem for ALL Malaysians. The pollution will spread over a wide area,even into our ASEAN neighbours through the South China Sea. Contaminated seafood and agricultural produce can create serious food safety issue not just for the people of Kuantan but to all the consumers of agriculture and seafood and seafood products. Air pollution from the Lynas plant can be carried far and wide by the north eastern monsoon wind.


a temporary operating licence was issued to Lynas Malaysia, a wholly owned operation of Australia’s Lynas Corporation,for its controversial rare earth refinery plant in Gebeng, an industrial estate about 20 km from Kuantan.



“Many families living in kampungs along the coast in Pahang will be directly affected once Lynas starts to dump its waste water into the South China Sea. These families depend on the seafood and tourism industry. They run small businesses to sustain their livelihoods. Who will want to buy contaminated seafood? Who will want to holiday next to a toxic plant?”




Determined resident going bald against Lynas rare earth plantation in Malaysia


This has been a serious issue since the PRU is coming up, i believe Najib Razak need to do something about it or he will lose his position as the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

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