Rio Tinto has announced that an independent community radiation study on its QIT Madagascar Minerals (QMM) mine has been completed by JBS&G Australia.
The study has concluded that there is no need for heightened health concerns around local radiation levels.
The study of the five cycles covering various seasons from November 2019 to October 2022 revealed that local food sources, water, air, and dust are radiologically safe.
Natural radiation can be found in mineral elements distributed throughout the region. Companies that remove mineral elements containing natural radiation, such as QMM, must monitor their actions to ensure they do not raise radiation levels above an approved worldwide reference level.
According to Rio Tinto, the impact of QMM on community radiation exposure has been studied and determined to be significantly less than the variance in natural background radiation levels and well below national and international radiation regulatory limits.
The study, commissioned by QMM, is a comprehensive study aimed at reinforcing international best practices in monitoring environmental impacts and their impact on host communities.
The study was initiated to assess the radiation doses from naturally occurring radioactive elements and any contributions from mining operations. It entailed collecting radionuclide-containing samples from surface water, groundwater, soil, sediment, land foods, aquatic foods, air, and dust. In total, over 260 samples (including 377 individual fish) were gathered under rigorous quality control circumstances and analysed using a variety of highly skilled analytical procedures tailored to ensure reliable and exact data.
QMM remains committed to regulating radiation and water quality at its operations and working transparently with the regulator and our host communities to guarantee effective monitoring at appropriate intervals per international principles and local needs.
