Aspects of radiation safety in the tin mining and processing industries in Malaysia

This study was undertaken at the request of the Malaysian nuclear regulatory authorities with the following objectives: to examine the individual steps in the mining, beneficiation, by-product treatment and smelting of tin-bearing minerals so as to highlight possible radiation safety effects and radiological environmental impacts; to make preliminary measurements on operations which are representative of the various steps in the processing of these minerals so as to determine the type and extent of future radiological survey programs; to examine the need for specific measurement techniques with a view to determining future training requirements. A representative operation of each of the steps in the tin mining and processing industry was visited, measurements were made and samples were collected to assess both the in-plant safety and offsite environmental effects of the operation. The results of measurements of gamma dose-rates, radon daughters-in-air, thoron daughters-in-air and radioactive respirable dusts are presented