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Rössing mineworker health study under way

13th May 2016

  

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Namibian uranium producer Rössing Uranium is undertaking a “comprehensive epidemiological study” of former and current employees of the Rössing mine, in the Namib desert, which has been planned since 2011.

Rössing Uranium, a member of the Rio Tinto group of companies, currently employs about 850 people at the mine, with 98% being Namibian.

The Rössing mine, discovered in 1928, is one of the largest and longest-running openpit uranium mines in the world. It started operations in 1976 as Namibia’s first uranium mine and, in 2014, produced 1 543 t of uranium oxide, producing 2.3% of the world’s uranium.

The uranium is mined from tough alaskite, which is the uranium-bearing rock processed to produce uranium oxide. Mining is done by blasting, loading and hauling from the openpit, currently measuring 3 km long, 1.5 km wide and 390 m deep.

“The aim of the epidemiological study . . . is to determine whether there is an excess- work-related cancer risk [for] the uranium mining workers at the Rössing mine,” said Rössing Uraniuim MD Werner Duvenhage at a media briefing on February 26.

A scoping process for the epidemiological study was completed by external consulting company SENES in August 2014 and the research project was subsequently awarded to the University of Manchester’s centres for Occupational & Environmental Health (epidemiology) and Biostatistics, the Institute of Population Health and the Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences in August 2015.

The predictive power of epidemiology is largely dependent on the availability and quantity of data. Information on occupational hazards and potential impacts, such as health outcomes, need to be available with adequate accuracy, explains Duvenhage.

All former and current workers who started with the organisation between 1976 and 2010, and who have worked at the mine for more than one full year are suitable candidates for the study cohort.

No new data will be collected and no new medical examinations will be taking place as the study will only use data that has already been collected.

Duvenhage has assured that the identities of individuals participating in the study will be protected. “Only anonymised data will be used in this study, which means that personal data will not be traceable to individuals and will not be disclosed to anyone.” Participants are also allowed the opportunity to withdraw their consent for the use of their information and the data will not be analysed.

A scientific peer review process will be carried out once the study is complete and results from this review will be published in an international journal. Potential concerns and contributions from key stakeholders will be considered and integrated where needed.

As at February 26, letters were distributed to all former Rössing employees and the company committed to placing adverts in all newspapers to inform as many former employees as possible about the study.

Meanwhile, Rössing is also attempting to reduce the cost of water for the mine’s operations and, in so doing, enhance its commercial sustainability through the construction of a desalination plant.

In 2014, the company completed a social- and environmental- impact assessment (SEIA) study to determine the feasibility of the proposed desalination plant.

Results of the SEIA scoping report, followed by a final report, were submitted to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism in October 2014; however, in August 2015, Rössing was informed that the Ministry had rejected the proposed water desalination plant.

The mine has, however, lodged an appeal with the Minister of Environment and Tourism in an effort to revoke the decision and the environmental commissioner has been asked to reconsider Rössing’s application for an environmental clearance certificate. The appeal was based on the Ministry’s failure to recognise fully the results of the SEIA report indicating that no major social and environmental impacts of the proposal were identified, says Rössing.

Rössing Uranium was still awaiting the results of the appeal at the time of going to print.

Edited by Tracy Hancock
Creamer Media Contributing Editor

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