Uranium_Posters.pdf

7/28/2019 Uranium_Posters.pdf

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www.dmp.wa.gov.au 1

Mining o uranium in Western Australiahad been prohibited until the current StateGovernment revoked the ban in November 2008.

Exploration o uranium has been occurringin Western Australia since the 1960s.

The Department o Mines

and Petroleum has more than40 years experience inregulating radioactive material.

The Government o Western Australia is committed to

worlds best practice or themost stringent regulatory

ramework or uranium mining.

URANIUM MINING IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Proposed Uranium mines

Towns

High prospectivity areas

Kalgoorlie

Perth

Geraldton

BroomePortHedland

Karratha

Newman


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www.dmp.wa.gov.au 2

The Department o Mines and Petroleum has morethan 40 years experience regulating radioactivematerials and keeping workers, the community andthe environment sa e.

The department has also learned rom South Australiaand the Northern Territory about their experienceswith mining uranium, where mining has occurredsince the late 1940s.

The department is also part o a uranium industry andgovernment group, the Uranium Industry Framework,that ensures worlds best environmental, health andsa ety standards are used by the uranium sector.

Uranium mining in Western Australia will be stronglyregulated by the Department o Mines and Petroleum,other State agencies and the Federal Government.

Protecting the health and sa ety o workers, thecommunity and the environment will be the highestpriority o the Western Australian government.

URANIUM MINING IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA


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Any company that mines uranium must useworlds best health and sa ety practices.

Worker sa ety Workers will be constantly monitored to measure theirradiation exposure.

They will wear dust monitors and radiation monitors, which willbe regularly checked to make sure they are working properly.

There will also be monitors on the minesite to measure theradiation levels.

The uranium oxide concentrate (UOC)The processed UOC, which is weakly radioactive, will bestored in metal drums and stored in a secure compound be oreit is transported.

A company must accurately measure the quantity o UOC storedat its minesite.

The Australian Sa eguards and Non-Proli eration O ce caninspect a minesite at any time to check the UOC is stored

correctly and there are security arrangements in place.

TransportationWhen the UOC leaves the minesite, it will be braced, sealedand locked in shipping containers and put on trucks.

The trucks will be driven by registered drivers who must ollowa speci c transport route.

The amount o UOC is measured at the minesite, on

the truck and be ore it is exported. This is done so all the UOCis accounted or.

URANIUM AND THE COMMUNITY

ERA

ERA


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PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT

Protecting Western Australias environmentis one o the Governments

highest priorities.Be ore a company can mine or explore

or uranium, it must prove it will managethe environment correctly to State andFederal environmental agencies includingthe Department o Mines and Petroleum.

ExploringUranium explorers must lodge aProgramme o Work with the Departmento Mines and Petroleum (DMP).

The document includes how a companywill manage and rehabilitate theenvironment and identi es AboriginalHeritage sites.

A company must also prepare a RadiationManagement Plan.

The plan includes the baseline radiationlevels o the area and how dust levels willbe managed (usually wet drilling).

DMP will inspect a uranium explorationsite within 12 months o drilling.

A uranium exploration drilling programis also registered with the departmentsenvironment division as a project to keepa close eye on.

MiningBe ore a company begins mining, it mustpresent a Mining Proposal to DMP.

A Mining Proposal includes anEnvironment Management Plan, aRadiation Management Plan and aRadiation Waste Management Plan.

The Mining Proposal details how themine will be closed, how the landwill be rehabilitated, and how theenvironment will be managed includingfora and auna.

Most mines will be continuallyrehabilitated during the li e othe operation.

A company must also get environmentalapproval rom both the Western

Australian and Federal Governments.

Exploration and mining operationscan all be suspended by a Stateor the Federal government icompanies do not meet environmental,sa ety and health requirements.


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www.dmp.wa.gov.au 5

WHO REGULATES URANIUM?

Uranium-related activitiesare regulated by many Stateand Federal departments andagencies.

StateThe Department o Mines andPetroleum (DMP) regulates the miningand exploration o uranium. It alsoregulates environmental issuesat the minesite, or exploration area.www.dmp.wa.gov.au

The Resources Sa ety Division

(part o DMP) regulates uranium mineworkers health and sa ety.www.dmp.wa.gov.au/6611.aspx

The Radiological Council (part othe Health Department) regulatesthe handling o radioactive materialsby issuing licences. It works closelywith the Resources Sa ety Division.www.radiologicalcouncil.wa.gov.au

The Department o Environmentand Conservation (DEC) regulatesthe management o the environmentsurrounding the minesite.www.dec.wa.gov.au

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) works with DEC. It also assessesenvironmental matters on behal othe Commonwealth.

www.epa.wa.gov.au

FederalThe Department o Environment,Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) nuclear actions are considered onational environmental signi cance and

uranium mining and exploration mayrequire assessment by the department.www.environment.gov.au

The Department o Resources, Energy and Tourism (DRET) issues permits orthe export o uranium.www.ret.gov.au

The Australian Nuclear Non-Proli eration O fce (ASNO) issues permits or the possessionand transport o nuclear materialswww.asno.d at.gov.au

The Australian Radiological Protectionand Nuclear Sa eguard Agency (ARPANSA) disseminating in ormationon worlds best practices orradiological protection.www.arpansa.gov.au

Nuclear Non-Proli eration Treaty Australia has international obligationsunder the Nuclear Non-Proli eration Treaty.The treaty means that uranium is only soldto other countries that have also signedthe treaty. I a country has signed thetreaty, it agrees to use processed uranium

or only peace ul purposes.www.d at.gov.au/security/npt.html


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RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS

www.dmp.wa.gov.au 6

Western Australia has mined andtransported radioactive material or40 years in the orm o mineral sands

and tantalum.

Most mineral sands deposits includemonazite which contains thoriumand uranium.

The mining, processing andtransportation o these materials havelong been regulated by the Departmento Mines and Petroleum through itsResources Sa ety Division, and theRadiological Council.

The Resources Sa ety Division alsohas an extensive database o radiationmonitoring o 383 resource workers.

This experience has given thedepartment a solid understanding o

the issues involved with uranium miningand exploration.

Iluka Resources Ltd


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HEADING

www.dmp.wa.gov.au 7

RADIATION AND URANIUM

5000 mSv

4000 mSv

3000 mSv

2000 mSv

1000 mSv

500 mSv

20 mSv

5 mSv

1 mSv

0.05 mSv

0 mSv

X-ray

Headache, disruption of immunity cellsReduction in white blood cells

Worker exposure limit

Typical worker dose

Public Exposure Limit

Fatality near 100%

High fever, internal bleeding,permanent genital gland sterilityFatality 60%

Skin erythema, hair loss,internal bleeding, Fatality 50%

Sunburn effect, loss of hair,cateracts in eyes

Nausea and vomiting, Fatality 10%

Radiation is all around us.

It comes rom many natural sources suchas cosmic rays rom space, ultra-violet light

rom the sun, and rom the earth.In some areas o Brazil, India, and China,the annual background radiation is between10 and 200 milliSieverts (mSv) per year.

A milliSievert is a unit o measurement othe biological e ects o radiation.

The world-wide population average annualdose rom natural background radiation isabout 2 or 3 milliSieverts (mSv) per year.

A typical uranium mine worker is exposedto about 5 mSv in addition each year.

A processed metal drum o uraniumore concentrate, which is o ten calledyellowcake, has a typical radiation dose rate

rom one metre o about 0.015 mSv per hour.

To put this in perspective:a dental x-ray is about 0.005 mSvan arm or leg x-ray is 0.02 to 0.05 mSva CAT scan is about 10 to 20 mSvthe annual occupational limit or uraniumworkers is 20 mSv

Short-term exposure o between 500 and 1000mSv will result in low-level radiation sickness.


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MAP HIGHLIGHTING TRANSPORT ROUTES OF URANIUM

Proposed Uranium mines

Uranium mines

Ports exporting Uranium Oxide Concentrate

Ports with container lifting capacity

Towns

Towns with container lifting capacity

Railroads transporting Uranium Oxide Concentrate

Railroads capable of transporting Uranium Oxide Concentrate

Roads transporting Uranium Oxide Concentrate

Roads capable of transporting Uranium Oxide Concentrate

Highway

High prospectivity areas

Kalgoorlie

Port Adelaide

GeelongMelbourne

Port KemblaSydney

Brisbane

Gladstone

Alice Springs

Mt Isa

Tennant Creek

Katherine

Darwin

Townsville

Cairns

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