Malaysians Not Keen on Rare Earth Plants 'Due to Fears'

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27 (Bernama) –- Misunderstanding and fear of chemical leakage that could cause radiation are among reasons why some Malaysians are not keen in the establishment of rare earth mineral processing plants in the country. Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) council member Hong Lee Pee said some people rejected the idea of setting up the Lynas Advance Material Plant (Lynas) in Gebeng, Pahang following the radiation leakage incident in Japan after a massive earthquake hit the country in 2011. A 9.0 earthquake rocked Japan on March 11, triggering a 15-metre tsunami that hit the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, causing its reactors to melt down. Hong said the negative perception was also caused by news on the shutting down of a few rare earth plants in China - which controls over 95 percent of global rare earth supply – due to failure to comply with safety aspects and contamination issues. He told Bernama that according to studies, mining and processing of rare earth did pose some risk to health, environment and safety but the risk would be manageable if good technology and systems are adopted. "Yes there are plants being closed down, but bear in mind that there are still plants allowed to operate. The risk is manageable and currently there are good, available technologies and systems that can overcome and solve the problem," he said. Asked if Lynas Corporation had taken excellent safety measures to avoid misfortunate incidents, Hong said while it has yet to be seen, the plant in Gebeng was designed by architects with vast experience in designing rare earth plants in China. "The plant and our regulatory standards on rare earth are up to international (safety) standard, in fact in some areas, Malaysia's regulatory is even more stringent than international guidelines," he said. Hong explained that rare earth elements could not be separated from human as it was used every day, such as in rechargeable batteries, cell phones, glass making and magnet. "We are not politicians. We are not obliged to say good things about Lynas. We are just scientists and I do believe that science will speak for itself, whether it will be harmful or not. You cannot hide from science and political interference to bring out issues. Time will tell," he said. ASM will be holding an international seminar on rare earth this Thursday at Universiti Malaysia Pahang in Gambang near Kuantan to present a better understanding of rare earth plants to the public. White House advisor on rare earth Jack Lifton – who is said to have been to all rare earth plants in the world - will be presenting his papers and sharing his views after visiting the Lynas plant in Gebeng during the one-day seminar. Other speakers are international expert on low level radiation health, Professor Dr Saleem Hassan Ali from University of Queensland, Australia, Malaysia's nuclear expert Dr Meor Yusoff Meor Sulaiman, and chemical expert Professor Amran Abdul Majid. Hong said the public should take the opportunity to obtain better understanding of rare earth plants issues. "So they can tell if something is wrong with Lynas facilities or any chemical factories in the nation and alert AMS. We need the public to be our eyes and ears," he said. Hong also stressed that AMS welcomes any high technology industries and foreign companies to invest in Malaysia. -- BERNAMA