WIM Resources has continued the webinar series for its Avonbank mineral sands project, with a session on the potential impacts related to radiation from the proposed mine.
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The webinar was hosted on Wednesday, September 17, and featured a presentation from DBH Radiation consultant Darren Billingsley on radiation assessment works the group undertook for the Avonbank project.
Mr Billingsley said the DBH Radiation team undertook preliminary testing at the site to measure the existing radiation conditions, and outlined potential community impacts the mineral sands mine could have related to radiation.
Such impacts included external radiation exposure from the ore body, inhalation of resuspended dust at the site, inhalation of radon gas released from the ore, consumption of nearby crops and vegetables, the transportation of Heavy Mineral Concentrate across Wimmera roadways and more.
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Impact testing found in the worst-case scenario, people impacted by site radiation would be exposed to between 43 and 48 micro Sieverts of radiation per year.
A Sievert is a unit of measurement used to track the biological harm of radiation in living beings, with the average person receiving 2300 micro Sieverts of radiation a year from background radiation.
Mr Billingsley said the radiation dose would be comparable to receiving one chest X-ray.
"Impact to members of the public and the environment were assessed using national and internationally recognised methodologies," he said.
"Residual impacts were assessed as either negligible or of no impact.
"Irrespective of all of this, we will still be required to implement a radiation monitoring program to ensure doses remain as low as reasonably possible, and to demonstrate the efficacy of mitigations.
"There will be a lot of mitigations in place, in order to keep low as doses as achievable, irrespective of the impact."
The report also found a negligible risk of radiation exposure to native animals and ground and surface water in the area.
To watch the full webinar, visit WIM Resource's Facebook page.
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