Radiation Protection Board Secretariat Inspect African Minerals Stock Pile
A team of Inspectors from the Radiation Protection Board Secretariat on the 6th October 2011 conducted an inspection on the African Mineral stock pile of iron ore at Pepel. The team comprised of the Chief Radiation Protection Officer and Executive Secretary Mr. Josephus Kongo, Senior Lab Technician Mr. Charles Vandy, Scientific Officers Messrs Abdulai Abass Kargbo and Umar Bun-Tejan and Public Relations Officer Mr. Christopher Wallace-Johnson. The three piles of iron ore were said to have been abandoned at the Pepel site by the defunct Marampa Mines over twenty years ago. (Photo: Chief Radiation Protection Officer and Team)
The purpose of the scanning was threefold. Firstly, to determine the radiation level of the iron ore before shipment, Secondly to prevent Sierra Leone exporting radiation into another country in violation of the Code of Conduct of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) relating to transport of radioactive materials and thirdly to ensure that the working environment around the vicinity of the piles of iron ore is within acceptable level and could not cause harm to the general public and the environment.
At the end of the scanning exercise, it was discovered that the radiation level was within acceptable limit. The Secretariat will therefore issue clearance certificate to African Minerals for transportation of non radioactive iron ore. The Executive Secretary and team cautioned that similar visits will continue to be made to the various mining sites to ensure that our people and the environment are not unduly exposed to radiation which may cause cancer within the population.
The team commended African Minerals for the initiative in facilitating the pre-shipment scanning to keep within local and international requirements.
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