KUALA LUMPUR: Lynas (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd should focus on delivering water leach purification (WLP) radioactive materials back to its country of origin, Australia, instead of conducting studies on its potential use.
(WLP is a waste product from rare earth processing.)
Kuantan member of parliament Fuziah Salleh, said any study involving WLP, which she said is radioactive waste from the Lynas plant in Kuantan, could not be continued.
"The executive committee on Lynas suggested that all studies on recycling of Neutralisation Underflow Residue (NUF) without the WLP residue can be continued. However, since condisoil contains WLP material, it cannot be continued, either in the form of a study or its potential use," she said in a statement.
Fuziah was responding to a New Straits Times front page story on Wednesday, which said that Lynas’ investment in research and development had succeeded in finding commercial applications for its residue with the discovery of "Condisoil", a flexible and multi-purpose fertiliser.
Condisoil is produced via a combination of WLP and magnesium-rich synthetic gypsum (MRSG).
"Lynas must accept the fact that the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin has already issued a statement that the study involving WLP, which is radioactive waste from the Lynas plant, cannot be continued and the WLP waste must be sent back to the country (of origin) before the end of the Lynas operating license expiry date in September 2019.
"Just because Lynas does not mention WLP as radioactive waste, does mean that it doesn’t exist? They should stop wasting their time by using the media, but focus on efforts to send back the waste to Australia," she said.
She called on Lynas to be more responsible and not “mislead” the people in Kuantan.
Meanwhile, Ecotourism and Conservation Society Malaysia (ECOMY) chief executive officer and co-founder Andrew Sebastian said any idea which pollutes and can affect the future must not be entertained.
He said although condisoil sounds like “an interesting idea”, Malaysia must decline and resist any further ideas which would continue to keep such material in the country.
"ECOMY is of the opinion that the waste material must be sent back to the country of origin and this should be non-negotiable.
"Water pollution is serious business. When it affects public health, the local community and people who depend on simple things such as water supply, it must adhere to the highest standards of care.
"Currently, this is not the case. We are not ready to manage ourselves in terms of radioactive waste and ground water pollutants."
He called on the government, both state and federal, to do the right thing by expediting and resolving the matter once and for all.
He also called on local community groups and leaders to stand up and urge politicians to ensure that the materials are sent back to the country of origin.
"We have been struggling to ban single use plastics and smoking in public. This matter with Lynas is been long overdue in terms of seeing a conclusion. We have to close this chapter and move on," said Sebastian.
Meanwhile, Environmental Protection Society Malaysia vice-president Randolph Jeremiah said although current tests showed favourable results for condisoil, there should be an independent scientific committee appointed to review the assessment.
"This is important as this type of waste is new to Malaysia and there is public concern. The tests conducted should also be across a longer time span, beyond just the third planting cycle, which will be completed in June, to account for the long term effects of radioactive waste on the environment."
He added there was also a need to determine the commercial viability of condisoil compared to other types of fertilisers.