Minister rules out radiation health risk

From Government of Western Australia | 10 Mar 2010

Mines and Petroleum Minister Norman Moore today quashed rumours of a possible health risk from radiation at a decommissioned uranium testing site near Kalgoorlie-Boulder, following completion of testing at the site.

Mr Moore comprehensively rejected the claims based on the results of radiation testing he directed the Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP) to carry out last week.

The Minister requested the DMP survey in response to reported claims by the Labor Party’s candidate for the seat of O’Connor at the next Federal election, Ian Bishop, that the rehabilitated Kalgoorlie Research Plant (KRP), six kilometres north of the city, posed a health risk.

“Mr Bishop’s unnecessarily inflammatory remark heightened community concerns about the possible risk of radiation to children following vandalisation of the site’s gates,” he said.

“I was advised BHP Billiton, which owns the site, had repaired the gates and increased security.

“Previous testing by radiation experts had given the area an all clear, but I asked DMP for another survey to allay any lingering community concern.”

Radiation levels across the site were found to be comparable with normal natural background radiation levels found elsewhere in Western Australia.

“Sixty-nine radiation measurements were taken across the site and readings showed radiation levels averaged 0.11 micrograys per hour, which compares to typical background radiation levels of 0.08 micrograys per hour at the Kalgoorlie DMP office,” Mr Moore said.

“A residential garden in Roleystone measures 0.6 micrograys per hour due to the naturally occurring granite along the Stirling Range, five to six times higher than the site in Kalgoorlie-Boulder.”

Ramsar in Iran has the highest measured levels of background radiation at 28.0 micrograys per hour.

“All radiological waste material from the Goldfields site has been buried at significant depth and major earthmoving equipment would be required to reach this material,” the Minister said.

The DMP survey showed no evidence of any disturbance or removal of material from the site’s waste storage areas.

“This site inspection and radiation survey was requested to help alleviate legitimate community concern, unnecessarily raised by Mr Bishop’s irresponsible scaremongering,” Mr Moore said.

“Nothing is ‘dumped’ at the site as his claims suggest. The only evidence of the previous use of the site are the roads and the ‘radioactive material' warning signs above the burial pits.”

The site was used by Western Mining Corporation (now BHP Billiton Nickel West) in the early 1980s for test processing of ore from Yeelirrie, south of Wiluna.

The tailings facility was decommissioned in 1986 and infrastructure was progressively decontaminated and removed before the site was backfilled, capped and rehabilitated with native vegetation.

The radiation survey report is available on the DMP website ‘Latest News’ section at http://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/ or phone 9222 3333.