Saturday, April 16, 2011

LYNAS Rare earth production in Gebeng, Kuantan

I'm not sure if this has been passed down to the citizens of Malaysia, amidst the Sarawak elections which was the main agenda.

For the past few weeks, the people of Kuantan stood up and raised their concern over the construction of a RARE earth production facility in Gebeng Industrial Estate, Kuantan (approx 30km from Kuantan town). About 2 years ago, the Pahang government approved the project by LYNAS Corp, Australia to construct the facility. Little did we know of its consequences. Little did we know that this facility will be creating a mass dump site of radioactive waste at the back of our homes.

Just some background on RARE earth materials (I'm no chemist, but these are some of what I've gathered) :-
1. RARE earth materials are rare....(duh!). And it can only be found on limited parts of the world (it I'm not mistaken, I've read somewhere that there are only 3 locations in the world).
2. It is used in the making of iPhone, bombs, hybrid cars etc...
3. Currently, China donimates (in fact, they are the only ones!) the production of the materials coz no other countries would want it at their backyards....and that includes Australia.

Malaysia's last RARE earth project in Bukit Merah, the Asian Rare Earth (ARE) plant was a warning to us (that was back in the 1980s). Nearly 20 years since it was shut downed, till todate the site is still being cleaned up at a cost of over RM300m and has been linked to at least 8 cases of leukemia, 7 resulting in death. Have we not learned from the past?

LYNAS is claiming that the thorium (the radioactive element found in virtually all rare earth deposits) produced now is really really low. So much lower than that of Bukit Merah. Hence, there will be a low risk of high radiation exposure. But there's a saying that goes "Sikit-sikit, lama- lama jadi bukit". If you're exposed, it means you're exposed. Little or not does not matter. And if you're exposed for a very long time, chances are you are facing a high level of radiation. What say you?

And therefore, I am 100% against it. For my future, for my family's future, for my generations to come. I wouldn't want a miniature "Hulk" as my baby, now would I? So please do support our cause, the people of Kuantan's cause. You can click here to join in our group through Facebook.

Adios amigos!!

9 comments:

Pete said...

Ask these guys to bring the factory back to Australia!

Welcome back, Bro!

Anonymous said...

I'm not an expert on the Lynas project, but yes the level of radiation does matter a lot. Everyone on the planet is always exposed to radiation from various sources - space, rocks, flying a plane, even bananas! So this project should be regulated according to how much radiation they actually produce. This is not a nuclear power plant so there is no chance of a Chernobyl type event. If they don't meet the government set radiation limits they could and should be shut down.

check this out to put radiation levels in perspective: http://xkcd.com/radiation/

"If you are exposed, you're exposed?" The same could be said about tobacco smoke or car exhaust - both are known to be killers. Do you want to ban these too?

Chen said...

Best to learn about the implication of the project instead if drawing conclusion without knowledge:

Take a chapter from the people of West Chicago:

http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/assault-on-mount-thorium/Content?oid=877745

cleffairy said...

I will say TAK NAK to this nonsense... :( Good grief... Malaysia is getting more and more worst everyday that i wonder if there will be anything left for our kids in the future.

Garfield said...

@Pete,
they can't, coz there isn't such thing for them to dig in Australia.
------------------------------------

And damn the government!
got such valuable things, just give it away to aussies and not keep for ourself?
Always say our economy not good lar, this and that. Now got radioactive isotopes to sell, but just give it away to other ppl!!??

mah cibai, this thing can make our country damn rich ler!

by the way, according to some reports, this mine will soon be the higher radioactive elements mine in the world. it is not like what the government say. it is not small, it is damn big 1.

suituapui said...

Hehehehe!!! There was talk that they would have the project in Sarawak. Thank goodness they've put it in Pahang. Our lives hanging on a thread with the thought of the Bakun tumbling down is bad enough - that was what all those rocket people were saying during the recent election.We are doomed!

Anonymous said...

@Garfield
It's a refinery plant. They dig the rare earth from Mount Weld Australia to be process here. The toxic (waste) are mainly thorium will be dump here.
They intends to ship tones of raw Rare Earth from Australia to be process at our backyard. And let us keep their waste!!!

Anonymous said...

Wakey Wakey, Malaysia. Its not only the thorium.

China’s rare earth industry each year produces more than five times the amount of waste gas, (including deadly fluorine, radio-active radon, and sulfur dioxide), than the total flared annually by all miners and oil refiners in the U.S. Alongside that 13 billion cubic meters of gas comes 25 million tons of waste water laced with cancer-causing, DNA damaging heavy metals such as cadmium. Malaysia plans to refine one third of China`s output of REE!!

Re thorium 232 with its 28 billion year life.

The New York Times reported last October, that the tailings pond at Baotou, China is leaking an underground bloom of thorium that is moving toward the Yellow River at 300 meters per year; the river is 7 kilometers away. The Chinese have since confirmed this

Anonymous said...

The Japanese last weekend had over a million protest their nuke pwr. TOO BL..DY LATE 3 Fukushima reactors have already melted down. They will be radiated for ever in that zone.

Malaysians must protest before its TOO BL..DY LATE.

The more protests, the more BAD punblicity, the more Lynas shares will tank,(they are already on a steep downhill), the better chance of no radiactive Malaysia, again.

Just in case some ill-informed Govt. official gives Lynas the OK, Lynas wont have the cash to finish their sneaky project, and thus will not be able to radiate your beautiful home, and your future generations.

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