Risk to crops from radioactive dust contamination from Yorke Peninsula Hillside mine?
Uranium dust’ from Yorke Peninsula Hillside mine could contaminate crops, campaigners say ABC News, By Malcolm Sutton 15 Aug 14, Fears that dust from a planned mine on Yorke Peninsula could contaminate crops with low-level uranium and potentially travel as far as Adelaide have been raised by campaigners.
The YP Landholders Group said an estimated 3 million kilograms of dust produced annually by Rex Minerals’ Hillside copper, gold and ore mine could include radioactive uranium and its decay products, called radon gas and radon daughters.
Chairman Stephen Lodge cited a joint paper written by United States doctor Dale Dewar that found “long-lived radioisotopes” from uranium mines could spread on surrounding land via dust and the water used for dust suppression.
Mr Lodge said Rex Minerals’ own documents acknowledged the existence of uranium on the site near Ardrossan………
Mr Lodge said the level of uranium considered safe was constantly being downgraded and feared guidelines could be breached as a result.
“YPLOG is asking Rex to guarantee there will be no increase in background radiation, radioactive dust or radiation levels in rainwater tanks as a result of the Hillside operation,” he said.
He warned that Rex Minerals’ decision last week to consider scaling back the project’s initial stages did not mean the full mine would not go ahead, and people needed to be aware of the risks……
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