The Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) said that the radiation at
the site of the decommissioned Asia Rare Earth (ARE) factory in Bukit
Merah, Perak is about four times higher than the national average, but
is safe and not caused by ARE.
Answering questions from a member of the public who suggested the possibility of unknown dump sites when radiation levels at the site of the decommissioned ARE factory and the disposal site of ARE’s waste are lower than in the surrounding areas, AELB licensing director Hasmadi Hassan said the above average radiation in Perak was because it was a former tin-mining area and explained, “The tin industry came before independence; I think 100 or 200 years ago. It was during these tin mining days that they left the amang (tin tailings). The amang’s content of naturally occurring radiation is very high.”
Answering questions from a member of the public who suggested the possibility of unknown dump sites when radiation levels at the site of the decommissioned ARE factory and the disposal site of ARE’s waste are lower than in the surrounding areas, AELB licensing director Hasmadi Hassan said the above average radiation in Perak was because it was a former tin-mining area and explained, “The tin industry came before independence; I think 100 or 200 years ago. It was during these tin mining days that they left the amang (tin tailings). The amang’s content of naturally occurring radiation is very high.”
Quoting figures from United Nations Scientific Committee of the
Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), Hasmadi (right) said the national average
background radiation level was 0.05 microsieverts per hour and urged members of the public with information on such dump sites to submit their claims to AELB for further investigation.
By comparison, the AELB’s monitoring at the ARE site showed that the radiation is at 0.17 microsieverts per hour; and one to 1.14 microsieverts per hour at the new disposal facilities in Mukim Belanja, Perak.
By comparison, the AELB’s monitoring at the ARE site showed that the radiation is at 0.17 microsieverts per hour; and one to 1.14 microsieverts per hour at the new disposal facilities in Mukim Belanja, Perak.
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