Report: Prepared for Taung Gold (Pty) Ltd

on behalf of

SLR Consulting () (Pty) Ltd Limited

Jeanette Gold mine

A Prospective study of the probable Radiation Impact on the Public and the Environment due to the proposed new Mine

Draft Feb.2016

JC Botha

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Report Title A Prospective study of the probable Radiation Impact on the Public and the Environment due to the proposed new Mine Status Draft J C Botha Ph.D (UOFS), former Associate Professor of Medical Prepared By Physics University of the and Radiation Protection Specialist for ESKOM and AngloGold Ashanti Client SLR Consulting for Taung Gold Free State Pty Ltd The author is a retired Radiation Protection Specialist with no Declaration interest in the project other than to fulfil the contract between the Client and the Consultant

Revision History Revision Change Page

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Acronyms / Definition Abbreviations Bq Becquerel Sv Sievert EF Emission factor EIA Environmental Impact Assessment PM10 particles of an aerodynamic diameter of less than 10 ROM micrometersRun-of-Mine NNR National Nuclear Regulator TSF Tailings Storage Facility TSP Total Suspended Particulates US-EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency WRD Waste Rock Dump tpm Tons per month Tph Tons per hour Kd The volumetric distribution coefficient of the porous medium

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Executive Summary

A prospective study has been made of the probable radiation impact the uranium in the ore at the proposed new mine and tailings facility may have on the public and the environment. The results of the air quality study as well as the ground water studies performed for SLR was used in the assessment.

The methodology prescribed the National Nuclear Regulator: GD 1032 has been used to perform the radiation impact assessment for the members of the Public and the Environment. The radiation dose was calculated for the inhalation of radon emanating from the proposed tailings facility and the respirable (PM10) dust containing uranium. No radiation dose could be determined for the ingestion of vegetables contaminated by mine dust or irrigated with contaminated water. A small number of the local inhabitants at Nyakallong grow their own vegetables irrigated with municipal water.

The ingestion dose due to the windblown dust and contaminated water was assessed from a study performed by Bain et al who found the annual disk at various mines did not exceed about 20 µSv/a. This small number is beyond regulatory concern any way as the maximum allowable dose for a member of the public is 1000 µSv/a (with a dose constraint of 250 µSv/a per single source. The results are presented in the following table:

The dose to the most exposed person Radon Dose: <2 µSv/a Dust Dose: (PM 10) <1 µSv/a Ingestion Dose 0 µSv/a Dose from Water 0 Total Dose at Present <2 µSv/a

The risk of ground water pollution is also very low due to fact that the area has been subjected to mining by Harmony at Target and Pres Steyn for many years with no uranium being detected in any borehole except at Voëlpan next to Nyakallong. The uranium may be the result of acid mine drainage from the waste rock dump next to it. This water is brackish and unsuitable for drinking or irrigation. The pan is home to a few thousand Flamingos . The radiation life time risk to a member of the public is given as 4% per Sv by the International Commission for Radiation Protection. For a dose of 1 µSv/a the risk is 4.0E-8 or about 1 in a 400 million. The impact on the public is there for very small. The risk was calculated for the tailings dam in its final stage at maximum height and size and is therefore the maximum risk to the workers and the public. In terms of the risk after mitigating the risk it is already so low that it is not necessary to do any mitigation

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The conclusion may therefore be made that the new proposed Jeanette mine and plant as well as the TSF will not have any significant impact on the public or the environment during commissioning and operation. The post closure radiation dose will be determined in conjunction with the National Nuclear Regulator who must approve the mine closure and rehabilitation program.

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Contents Revision History ...... 2 Executive Summary ...... 4 1 INTRODUCTION ...... 8 1.2 Brief Project Description...... 8 1.3 Construction Phase ...... 8 1.4 Operational Phase ...... 8 1.5 Processing Plant ...... 11 1.6 Post Closure...... 11 2 SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES ...... 11 3. LEGAL REQUIREMENTS ...... 11 4. SITE CHARACTERIZATION ...... 12 4.1 Demography ...... 12 4.2 Adjacent land use and eating Habits ...... 13 4.3 Water Catchment area ...... 15 5. THE SOURCE TERM ...... 15 6. MAIN POTENTIAL EXPOSURE PATHWAYS CONSIDERED IN THIS ASSESSMENT ...... 16 6.1 Inhalation ...... 17 6.2 Ingestion ...... 17 6.3 External exposure...... 17 7. THE MAIN SOURCE OF INHALED RADIOACTIVITY IS RADON AND DUST FROM THE TAILINGS DAM AND OTHER SOURCES SUCH AS THE SHAFT COMPLEX AND THE WASTE ROCK DUMP ...... 19 7.1 Radon dispersion modelling and Radon Inhalation Dose ...... 19 7.2 Dust Modelling and Inhaled dust dose ...... 22 7.3 Ingestion Dose ...... 23 8. GROUND WATER ...... 24 9. RESULTS ...... 26 10. CONCLUSIONS ...... 28 11. RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 29 References ...... 30

List of Tables:

Table 1: The population of Nyakallong Table 2: The radioisotope content of Target Tailings material 6

Table 3: The radon dose to the critical Group (living on Tailings dam) Table 4: Annual Effective Dose and Committed Effective Dose (50 yrs.) from various ingestion pathways by Bain et al. Measurement Unit: Sv/a for D and Sv for D50 Table 5: The Chemical contents of ground or surface water. Table 6: The dose to the most exposed person Table 7: Summary of the total effective dose at conservatively selected locations for the different age groups as calculated for the Formal Urban Resident Exposure Condition from the operations of the Adjacent Harmony mines.

List of Figures:

Figure 1: Locality Map and Land use Figure 2: Dwellings in Nyakallong (Ptersa, 2010). Figure 3: Gardens in Nyakallong (Ptersa 2010) Figure 4: The water catchment area with the water sampling points. Figure 5: The Potential exposure pathway exposure Matrix Figure 6: The Radon flux as a function of the Radium concentration. Figure 7: The radon concentration isopleths Figure 8: The PM10 Dust Inhalation dose Distribution after Mitigation. (From the SLR Air Quality study) Figure 9: Water monitoring locations.

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1 INTRODUCTION

This report presents a prospective assessment of potential radiation impacts of this project on the public and the surrounding environment. The assessment describes the scope, relevant legislation, assessment methodology and the baseline conditions. It then considers any potentially significant environmental affects the proposed facility would have on this baseline environment; the mitigation measures required to prevent, reduce or offset any significant adverse effects; and the likely residual impacts after these measures have been employed.

1.2 Brief Project Description

Taung Gold proposes to revive the historical Jeanette Gold Mine through the Jeanette Project. The underground gold mine is situated approximately (~) 20 km northwest of , in the Free State. The Jeanette life of mine at steady-state production (100 000 tons ROM per month~ 1 000 kg of gold per month,) is estimated to be ~ 24 to 29 years at the Basal Reef horizon. Existing mine surface and underground infrastructure associated with the historical Jeanette Gold Mine includes 2 vertical shafts (North 1 Shaft with a depth of 1293 m and the South 2B Shaft with a depth of 1546 m) and limited underground horizontal access development. Planned surface infrastructure will cover an area of ~ 250 ha and will consist of the following: a single main shaft complex, a processing plant, a tailings storage facility and a waste rock dump located at the historical 2B shaft.

1.3 Construction Phase

The facilities Iisted below will be established during the construction phase:

 groundworks for the shaft complex, processing plant complex and supporting infrastructure components;  contractors yard;  temporary storage areas;  access roads; and  supporting pipework, including tailings transfer pipe.

The following significant activities will take place during construction:

 selective clearing of vegetation in areas designated for surface infrastructure;  stripping and stockpiling topsoil and sub-soil;  digging of foundations, trenches and pits;  delivery of materials; and  general building/construction activities.

1.4 Operational Phase

The operational phase will consist of the following on site facilities and processes, 8

 underground mining;

 gold processing (metallurgical) plant;

 waste rock dump;

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Figure 1: Locality Map and Land use 10

1.5 Processing Plant

The gold processing plant has been designed to process 1.6 million tons of ore per annum. The processing capability of the plant will align with the phased increases in production from the underground mining operation.

1.6 Post Closure.

The only significant source of radiation after mine closure will be the tailings facility. The National Nuclear regulator will approve the closure and rehabilitation of the Mine. The most likely scenario is that the tailings facility will be fenced and secured to prevent any public access or that the area depending on the dose at the time be developed as a public recreational area.

2 SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES

The scope of this study is to review the probable impact of radiation on the Public and the Environment. The assessment is confined to the public areas surrounding the mine and tailings facility.

The assessment has the following objectives:

 To estimate the radiation dose to the most exposed person in the critical group. The critical group is the members of the public living closest to the mine and who may be affected by the radiation from the mine. The critical group has been identified as the public residing in Nyakallong and the former Jeanette hostel ruins  To determine what mitigating measures may be taken by the mine to limit the radiation impact on the members of the public and the environment

3. LEGAL REQUIREMENTS

The National Nuclear Regulator; Act 47 of 1999 (NNR) controls all mine and mineral processing activities. Apart from obtaining a certificate of Registration to operate the mine, the act by means of guidance document GD 1032 requires that the mine perform a Radiation Hazard Assessment for Members of the Public and the Environment. The NNR requires the dose to a member of the public to be less than 1000 µSv/a (with a dose constraint of 250 µSv/a per single source).

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4. SITE CHARACTERIZATION

The proposed site for the new mine is shown in the locality Map and land use in Figure 1. The Taung Gold Free State operations are situated in the Free State Province close to the towns of Allanridge and Nyakallong, next to the main road connecting and . The proposed mine area lies across the road from The Harmony Target Gold Mine.

4.1 Demography

The population of Nyakallong given in Table 1 was obtained from the 2011 Government Census.

Table1: The population of Nyakallong Nyakallong (Called Phatakahle in 2011 Census) Area: 3.58 km² Population: 16976 (4736.35 per km²) Households: 4006 (1117.69 per km²)

Population group People Percentage Black African 16895 99.52% Indian or Asian 32 0.19% Other 24 0.14% Coloured 15 0.09% White 10 0.06%

In Nyakallong, the average household size seems to be 4-5 people, with a number of people living on their own. The farm workers and their families average a number of 16 people per farm according to the 2008 social research survey, while Ptersa (2010) reported 18 people per farm. Families consist mostly of a mother with children and / or grandchildren. Fathers work far away and come home approximately once a month. Many mine workers in the area come from neighbouring countries such as , and and they often have a wife that they are married to in a traditional way back at home. When they come to work in , they take another wife, and may be a mistress. This seems to be part of a survival strategy for the women of Nyakallong as there are not many employed men living there, and those who are employed, live far away. The mineworkers have an income and are able to maintain them. Women insist on getting legally married to these foreigners so that when they do leave, or go back to their countries of origin, they can claim maintenance from them for their children.

Ptersa (2010) reported that in Nyakallong, most respondents get their water from a tap inside the yard. Some households have taps inside the dwellings as well. They use about 40 litres of water per day, which may represent a free quota, as they receive free water from the . A 12 small minority use water from a river or stream, but this is in addition to the municipal water and in very small quantities, most likely for gardening purposes. For the Nyakallong Farmers’ Trust, water is a challenge, especially in December. A view Figure 2, of Nyakallong showing typical dwellings although there are shacks in the village as well.

Figure 2: Dwellings in Nyakallong (Ptersa, 2010).

4.2 Adjacent land use and eating Habits

The land surrounding the mine is primarily used for the grazing of cattle. Limited crops, mainly maize is grown in the area predominantly next to the tailings facility. Respondents in Nyakallong have indicated that they mostly eat pap. During the week, they also have milk, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, onion and spinach and on Sundays, they have pumpkin as well. They eat chicken once or twice a week and then the whole chicken are consumed – runaways, head, neck and lungs. Fruit like orange, apples and bananas are also consumed. Some people make their own bread and fish is eaten as well. People do not eat pork very often, mainly in winter, and then less than once a week. Beef and mutton/lamb is eaten on Saturdays at funerals or weddings while goat is

13 eaten on traditional occasions. Goat is expensive. There are people in the community that would eat genet cats, jackal, cats, rats, flamingos and snakes as well. Respondents reported that the Basotho from Lesotho is known for eating cats. The respondents from the Farmers’ Trust reported very similar eating habits – pap, milk and cabbage every day and chicken or sausages once a week. They have spinach also once a week and at the end of the month when they are out of money, they will have their pap with water. (Ptersa 2010). Figure 3 shows food cultivation in Nyakallong:

Figure 3: Gardens in Nyakallong (Ptersa 2010)

Chicken, sheep and pigs are the main livestock kept inside the area of Nyakallong, with cattle grazing on the perimeter. Inside the township, animals are kept in sink structures at the back of the dwelling during the night, while they graze next to the dam during the day. Farmers farm mainly with cattle while farm workers keep cattle, sheep and pigs for personal use. Other livestock kept by farmers include sheep, chickens, ducks and turkeys as well as horses. The self-completion questionnaires indicated that farm workers mainly keep chickens and pigs for own consumption.

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4.3 Water Catchment area

Figure 4: The water catchment area with the water sampling points.

5. THE SOURCE TERM

The main source of radioactivity in the South African gold mining industry is naturally occurring uranium metal contained in the underground ore body at a uranium (U3O8) grade of approximately 0.01-0.08%. Jansen van Vuuren et al (1995) found that Uranium-238, the predominant parent of a long series of radionuclides which finally decays to the stable nuclide Lead-206 is the main source of radiation. Uranium-235 is present in its standard concentration value of 0.7% of the total uranium value. Where thorium was present it was considered as contributing to the dose.

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No drill core data is available at this time. To obtain some estimate of the uranium content and the source term associated with the new mine the uranium analysis by NECSA of the tailings at the Target gold mine adjacent to the proposed new mine was considered. The analysis of the tailings material by NECSA is given in Report RS 2014-0713-01(2014). Table 2 is an extract of the report indicating the Isotope activity in Bq/kg

Table 2: The radioisotope content of Target Tailings material

Over an 24-30 year operational period at a rate of 100 000 tonnes a month the total uranium activity of the tailings facility will be 1,8E+10 Bq and the radium content will be 1,6E+10 Bq

For the inhalation of dust and the generation of Radon an activity concentration of 447mBq/g for uranium was used to calculate the inhalation dose. The dispersion analysis was performed by Airshed Planning Professionals, a consultant to SLR and is contained in report: Air Quality Impact Assessment for the Jeanette Project; Report No.: 14SLR22

6. MAIN POTENTIAL EXPOSURE PATHWAYS CONSIDERED IN THIS ASSESSMENT

The potential exposure pathways are described by the following interaction matrix Figure 5.

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6.1 Inhalation

The inhalation of radon gas 222Rn and its short lived progeny from tailings dams, as well as the inhalation of radioactive dusts, containing long-lived alpha emitting nuclides, from mainly the tailings dam, were modelled.

6.2 Ingestion

The consumption of water potentially contaminated with radioactivity and the ingestion of foodstuff potentially contaminated with radioactive material (dust).

6.3 External exposure.

External exposure to gamma radiation from tailings was not considered as there is no person living on the tailings dam. Access is forbidden except to radiation workers.

The potential exposure pathways are described by the following interaction matrix Figure 5.

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Figure 5: The Potential exposure pathway exposure Matrix

Erosion Exhalation Run-off Seepage

Erosion Exhalation Run-off Seepage Shafts Emission

Process Seepage Seepage Dams discharge Dust Deposition Deposition Radon Surface Seepage Consume Consume Water Ground

Water Soil Uptake

Aquatic

animals Terrestrial Consume Plants Terrestrial

Animals

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7. THE MAIN SOURCE OF INHALED RADIOACTIVITY IS RADON AND DUST FROM THE TAILINGS DAM AND OTHER SOURCES SUCH AS THE SHAFT COMPLEX AND THE WASTE ROCK DUMP

7.1 Radon dispersion modelling and Radon Inhalation Dose

It is difficult to accurately determine the radon emanation rate from the proposed tailings dam. There are a number of factors that influence the emanation rate or flux from a tailings dam.

Due to the potential influence of all the parameters such as particle size, porosity, water content and material density on the emanation coefficient, it was essential to determine the flux from the tailings dam by in situ radon flux monitoring techniques.

The influence of the flux measurement itself on the radon flux from the tailings dam is a major consideration when embarking on any such experiments. Sameulson (199) and Jonassen (1983) describes various methods to determine the radon exhalation rate from uranium bearing soils.

There are mainly three approaches to radon flux measurement: Ellis (19980) used three methods to measure the radon flux from a radium containing material namely: a) The Closed Box method; Aldekamp(1990) b) Passive E-Perm Flux Measurements; E-Perm Systems Manual c) Dynamic Flow Through method; E-Perm Systems Manual

The three methods yielded similar values.

Based on the flux measurements and the Ra226 concentrations for soil, tailings material and pyrite, the following graph depicted in Figure 6 was constructed and it indicates to some extent a linear relationship between the radon flux from a surface and the radium (Ra226) concentration of the material as theoretically expected. Based on the graph in Figure 6 one could deduct a relationship of 0.067 Bq/m2/s per unit radium activity concentration, 1 Bq/g.

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Figure 6: The Radon flux as a function of the Radium concentration.

Radon flux vs Radium content

) 0.8 1

- .s

2 y = 0.0677x + 0.0101 - 0.6 R² = 0.9997

0.4

0.2

Radon Flux (Bq.m

0 0 2 4 6 8 10

226Ra concentration (Bq/g)

From Table 2 the radium content was taken as 0.447 Bq/g. This yields a radon flux of 0.03 Bq/m2/s.

The dust and radon dispersion modelling were done by SLR consultant Airshed and is reported in: Air Quality Impact Assessment for the Jeanette Project; Report No: 14SLR22 | Date: August 2015. For a description of the dispersion methods used and the weather conditions the reader is referred to the above report

The result of the radon modelling with the radiation dose isopleths is shown in Figure 7.

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Figure 7: The radon concentration isopleths

The radon concentrations were converted to dose as per the Basic Safety Series, IAEA Safety Series No.116, Page 99 allowing for a f=0.2 for radon outside dwellings and f=0.8 indoors as referenced in ICRP 65, page 13. A value of 22Sv/a per 1Bq/m3 was calculated. The dose due to the radon was calculated using inhalation rates for different age groups taken from ICRP 66 and ICRP 71. The radon dose as calculated is given in Table 2.

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Table 2: The radon dose to the critical Group (living on Tailings dam) Radon dose due to radon release from Tailings dam Age: 1yr 5 yrs 10 yrs 15 yrs Adults Vol inhaled per day m*3 5.17 8.72 15.32 20.11 22.22 Fraction of adult 0.23 0.39 0.69 0.91 1 14.3 Bq/m^3=250μSv/a F0.4 BSS115 Pg99 1Bq/m^3 is equal to 22μSv/a (Iiving in house); 50% F=0.2, 50%=F0.8 (BSS 115, pg 99) 1 Bq^3 is equal to 8.8 μSv/a in open air 100% at F=0.2 Radon Dose μSv/Bq/a per 1Bq/m^3 radon conc 22 22 22 22 22 Maximum Radon Concentration Bq/m^3 on top Tailings 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 Maximum Dose due to radon μSv/a on top Tailings 1 1 2 2 2 Dose at critical groups μSv/a on tailings dam 0 1 1 2 2

The radon concentrations are very low and does not extend to any public area or homestead near the mine. These dose values must be considered as the worst case scenario. At present there is no tailings facility and the dose to the population at Nyakallong was determined for Harmony and reported in “2012 Free State Public Radiological Safety Assessment” by Aquisim Consultants. No radon from the Target Tailings facility which is about as far away as the proposed Jeanette reached Nyakallong or any of the dwellings on the Jeanette site.

7.2 Dust Modelling and Inhaled dust dose

The breathable dust, commonly known as the PM10 fraction, during the operational phase was modelled by the SLR consultant Airshed and is reported in: Air Quality Impact Assessment for the Jeanette Project; Report No: 14SLR22 | Date: August 2015.

The dust generated during the construction phase of the tailings facility was not considered as it does not contain any Uranium-238. The results of the PM10 dust distribution from the tailings dam after mitigation are shown in Figure 7.

The inhalation dose was calculated with the following Formula: Inhalation Dose=Vx DXA μSv/a Vol =Volume Inhaled per day=22m3/day D=Max PM 10 Dust dose Concentration μg/m*3 A=Activity of dust 2.3Bq/g Dc= Dose convertion factor for U-238 μSv/Bq

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Figure 8: The PM10 Dust Inhalation dose Distribution after Mitigation. (From the Airshed Air Quality study)

From this figure it can be seen that no person is exposed to a radiation dose great than 1 µSV/a due to the inhalation of dust.

7.3 Ingestion Dose

If it is difficult to determine the inhalation of radioactive dust, then it is even more difficult to determine the amount of dust ingested by the public. No vegetables are grown in the area and milk used by the local public comes from other sources. The water in the area which was not subject to any Uranium pollution will not add any radiation dose to users of the water.

This study did not attempt to quantify the ingestion of dust.

A study done by Bain et al [14] analysed vegetables grown on the Marievale Farm in the Brakpan area, and the Vlakfontein and Luipaardsvlei Farms in the Randfontein Area. Bain et al attempted to 23 quantify the effect of radioactively contaminated water on the uptake of radioactivity in the plants. As the plants were harvested from the farms the effect of radioactive dust on the plants cannot be excluded and the doses calculated by the authors in the study must therefore be seen to be due to the water used for irrigation and dust settling on the plants. Furthermore the plants are grown in soil which is covered by mine dust which is ploughed into the soil every time the soil is tilled. The results are tabled in Table 3.

Table 3: Annual Effective Dose and Committed Effective Dose (50 yrs.) from various ingestion

pathways by Bain et al. Measurement Unit: Sv/a for D and Sv for D50 Vegetables Drinking Soil Soil

water Leafy Root Ingested External

D D50 D D50 D D50 D D50 D D50 U238 1.7 2.3 0.04 0.06 0.12 0.17 - - 1.0 - Ra226 0.88 7.8 0.22 1.90 0.65 6.0 1.3 10 2.0 -

The results show that the highest dose due to the ingestion of vegetables is 6 Sv/a and that due to soil ingestion 10 Sv/a. The total lifetime due to all sources is 17.9 Sv. (excluding water).

The 2012 Free State Radiological Public Safety Assessment (Aquisim) for Harmony, indicated that the radiation dose to ingestion of food contaminated by dust and grown with potentially contaminated water due to the operations of the Target mine was less than the 5 µSv/a calculated for all sources. See Table 7.

8. GROUND WATER

At the time of the compilation of this report no ground water study was available to the author. Water samples were however taken and will serve as a baseline for future sampling to detect any seepage of radioactivity in the ground or surface water.

Figure 1: Locality Map and land use, gives an overview of the surface water courses. To the north of the site lies the Sandspruit and near Nyakallong is the Voëlpan. This natural pan lies adjacent to the Allanridge sewage water evaporation pan. Voëlpan will receive run-off water from the waste rock dump belonging to Target. The rock is oxidised yellow indicating pyrite in the rock. Target mine produced sulphur from its undertaken by most gold mines. The pyrite in the rock may give rise to acid mine drainage into the pan.

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Aquisim Consultants did a study “2012 Free State Radiological Public Safety Assessment: Groundwater Flow and Mass Transport Model Development” for the Harmony Mines in the Free State” In this study they found that the sulphates from the target tailings facility drained to an area south east of the tailings dam. It may be reasonable to assume that the water behaviour will be the same for the new proposed tailings dam. Direct run-off from the tailings dam should a berm fail will not reach Voëlpan to the north of Nyakallong.

Water samples were taken and analysed at the sampling points indicated in the following Figure 9.

Figure 9: Water monitoring locations.

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The results of the water analysis are contained in Attachment 1. The monitoring point of interest is SW3 at Voëlpan. This sampling point is the only one that indicated uranium in the water, as can be seen from the following Table 5.

Table 5: Chemical contents of ground or surface water. Te Th Ti Tl Tm U (mg/L) (mg/L) (mg/L) (mg/L) (mg/L) (mg/L)

Sousvlei 10752 <0.010 <0.010 <0.010 <0.010 <0.010 <0.010 Buitendachshoop 1 10753 <0.010 <0.010 0.056 <0.010 <0.010 0.012 Roodepoort 1 10754 <0.010 <0.010 0.055 <0.010 <0.010 0.012 De Erf 1 10755 <0.010 <0.010 0.117 <0.010 <0.010 0.026 SW4 10756 <0.010 0.010 0.123 <0.010 <0.010 <0.010 SW3 10757 <0.010 <0.010 1.88 <0.010 <0.010 0.511 SW1 10758 <0.010 <0.010 0.107 <0.010 <0.010 <0.010 SW2 10759 <0.010 <0.010 0.114 <0.010 <0.010 <0.010 Hilton 3 10760 <0.010 <0.010 0.116 <0.010 <0.010 0.012 Emanuel 2 10761 <0.010 <0.010 0.171 <0.010 <0.010 0.023 Hilton 2 10762 <0.010 <0.010 0.078 <0.010 <0.010 0.010 Emanuel 1 10763 <0.010 <0.010 0.221 <0.010 <0.010 0.028 Hilton 1 10764 <0.010 <0.010 0.040 <0.010 <0.010 <0.010

The uranium content of the pan’s water is 0.511mg/l or 0.007Bq/l. The pH of the water is 8.2 which make the uranium insoluble. The water is not suitable for drinking or irrigation of farmlands due to its brackish nature. Local inhabitants do plant their own vegetables which they water with municipal water. There is no irrigation in the project area.

The Voëlpan water is brackish and is the home to thousands of Flamingos.

No bore hole contained any uranium so that it may be concluded that the radiation dose to the inhabitants of Nyakallong and the local farmers due to the ingestion of radioactive water or the ingestion of foodstuffs grown with radioactively contaminated water is zero, particularly due to the many years’ exposure to the Target mine operations. In this light it is assumed that the dose to people from the Jeanette mine will also be very low.

9. RESULTS

From the discussions above the total dose to the most exposed member of the public is made up as follow in Table 6:

Table 6: The dose to the most exposed person Radon Dose: <2 µSv/a Dust Dose: (PM 10) <1 µSv/a Ingestion Dose) 0 µSv/a Dose from Water 0 Total Dose <1 µSv/a 26

In an Environmental impact study by Aquisim for the Harmony Free State mines “2012 Radiological Public Safety Assessment Report ASC 101F-5” (With permission by D Venter of Harmony) the following results seen in Table 7, were obtained for the inhabitants around Target Mine.

Table 7: Summary of the total effective dose at conservatively selected locations for the different age groups as calculated for the Formal Urban Resident Exposure Condition from the operations of the Adjacent Harmony mines.

Coordinates Age Group Location 0 to 2 2 to 7 7 to 12 12 to 17 East North Adults years years years years 487.65 6886.50 Meloding (1) 111 134 252 298 317 489.12 6887.76 Meloding (2) 68 79 141 166 173 490.47 6888.96 Meloding (3) 58 68 123 145 153 483.83 6888.24 Kity 122 148 279 329 350 484.77 6888.75 Merriespruit 99 116 207 243 255 486.55 6890.05 Virginia (1) 104 100 126 145 134 488.31 6890.72 Virginia (2) 69 80 144 170 178 488.25 6891.62 Virginia (3) 23 25 41 48 49 489.13 6894.16 Harmony 327 377 667 782 820 485.78 6896.31 Saaiplaas 154 160 231 263 262 481.52 6902.57 Bronville 100 93 110 125 113 481.82 6903.29 Bronville Informal 35 35 48 56 53 (Hani 481.14 6904.35 22 24 36 42 42 Park) 477.76 6901.06 Witpan 33 35 54 62 63 474.72 6902.84 Jan Cilliers Park 15 17 28 33 34 473.28 6901.98 Naudeville 15 17 30 35 37 470.23 6905.47 Lakeview 21 22 33 39 39 471.03 6908.57 Reederpark 108 103 134 154 144 475.21 6908.01 Dagbreek 12 13 20 23 23 484.91 6905.55 Thabong Ext 13 9 10 17 20 20 484.19 6907.34 Thabong Ext 14 6 7 11 13 13 478.45 6907.28 Thabong Ext 2 13 14 24 28 28 480.48 6905.70 Thabong Ext 4 13 14 24 28 29 468.58 6917.58 Odendaalsrus 8 8 14 16 17 467.25 6916.89 Philippi 12 14 22 26 27

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468.61 6916.14 Ross Kent South 6 7 11 13 13 475.70 6917.34 Kutlwanong 4 4 7 8 8 465.53 6927.35 Nyakallong 2 2 4 5 5 480.18 6909.46 13 14 23 27 27 477.40 6906.32 Reitzpark 12 13 21 25 25 472.34 6906.92 Seemeeu Park 19 20 28 33 32 477.76 6903.81 Voorspoed 15 17 27 32 32

The results obtained above are of the same order of magnitude as that found in this study. It must be borne in mind that a future assessment may give higher dose readings once the mine is in operation.

10. CONCLUSIONS

The radiation life time risk to a human is given as 4% per Sv by the International Commission for Radiation Protection. For a dose of about 1 µSv/a the risk is 0.05 E-6 or about 1 in a million. The impact on the public is therefore very small. The risk of ground water pollution is also very low and in Regulatory terms beyond regulatory concern.

The radiation dose is due to dust and radon released from the tailings dam. The value of the dose is further determined by the low concentration of uranium in the ore. The low dose values makes mitigation of the impacts unnecessary.

The International Commission gives the radiation life time risk to a member of the public as 4% per Sv for Radiation Protection. For a dose of 1 µSv/a the risk is 4.0E-8 or about 1 in a 400 million. The impact on the public is there for very small. The risk was calculated for the tailings dam in its final stage at maximum height and size and is therefore the maximum risk to the workers and the public. In terms of the risk after mitigating the risk it is already so low that it is not necessary to do any mitigation

The conclusion may therefore be made that the new proposed Jeanette mine, plant and the TSF will not have any significant impact on the public or the environment.

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11. RECOMMENDATIONS

It is recommended that the study be repeated 5 years after the mine has started full production. This will be necessary as the reef may vary in its uranium content over the life of the mine. Uranium is the main source of the radiation risk to the public.

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References

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Jansen Van Vuuren Et Al (1995), Assessment of the Radiological Impact to the Public from Surface Works on Mines: Exposures from Aquatic Sources, Final Report Gu9301, CSIR.

Air Quality Impact Assessment for the Jeanette Project; Report No.: 14SLR22; Airshed Professionals

Samuelsson C (1987), A Critical Assessment of Radon-222 Exhalation Measurements using the Closed-Can Method, Lund University, Sweden.

Jonassen N (1983); The Determination of Radon Exhalation Rates, Health Physics 45 (2), 369-376

Ellis J.; The Determination Of The Radiation Dose To Members of the Public due to Gold Mines in the Welkom Area, M. Med Sc. Thesis , Univ. Of The Orange Freestate, 1998

Aldenkamp R J, et al (1990) An Assessment of a Method for in situ Radon Exhalation Measurements. Kernfysich Versneller Instituut, Groningen 4, (17 – 28)

E-Perm System Manual, Radon & Radiation Measurements, Rad Elec. Inc.

U S Environmental Protection Agency (September 1996), User’s guide for the Industrial Source Complex (ISC3) Dispersion Models, Volume II – Description of Model Algorithms, Office for Air Quality Planning and Standards, Emissions, Monitoring, and Analysis Division (EPA), North Carolina.

Leuscher et al; AEC Radon in South African Homes, Project for Dept. of Health Pretoria (Nov 1991) Investigations into the concentration ratios of selected Radionuclides in aquatic ecosystems affected by mine drainage effluents with reference to the Study of Potential Pathways to Man, Bain et al , WRC Report No. 313/1/94

Regulation Guide RG -002 Revision 0 (Draft), Assessment of Radiation Hazards to Members of the Public from Norm Activities, National Nuclear Regulator

IAEA, International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and the Safety of Radiation Sources, Vienna, IAEA Safety Series No 115

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2012 Free State Radioalogical Radiological public Safety Assessment; Aquisim Consulting. (Pty Ltd); with permission of D Venter Harmony Gold mines Free State

Government Census 2010. Dept. of Statistics

NECSA Report RS 2014-0713-01(2014); Analysis report: Radioactivity in solids

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Attachment 1:

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