1. COMMUNITY
CONSULTATION
IN TANZANIA
Sarah Lawley, Uranex NL
ARPS 2010
Acknowledgements: Leah Mafwenga, Community Liaison Officer, Uranex NL
Clement Msumba, Senior Technician, Uranex NL

2. OUTLINE OF TALK
1. Tanzania
2. Community Consultation
3. Relative Risks
4. Risk Communication

3. TANZANIA
1. Population = 40 million
2. Peaceful, diverse, hard working
3. 89% living on < $1.25 per day**
4. 5th poorest country**
5. Foreign Aid* = 40%
6. Exports* = gold 52%,
tourism 25%, agriculture 15%
*Tanzania Country Report 2009, Rabobank, Netherlands
** World Bank 2007

4. Mining in TanzaniaMining in Tanzania

5. COMMUNITY COMMUNITY
CONSULTATIONCONSULTATION
• Community Awareness Program: Manyoni (April‐July 2010)
– Local Stakeholders: Villagers, Farmers, Pastoralists,
Townspeople
– 6 local villages (Choda, Muhalala, Mitoo, Issuna, Solya, Kinyika)
– Language: Kiswahili 100%
– Average high school attendance rate: 16%
• Objectives of the community consultation process:
– Ensure that stakeholders are well informed about the project
– Encourage stakeholder feedback and involvement
– Develop a project that achieves sustainable development
• Stakeholder Consultation Database & Follow Up Process
– ALL stakeholder concerns are taken seriously

6. COMMUNITY QUESTIONSCOMMUNITY QUESTIONS
• How did the uranium get there?
• Are people who work in uranium exploration or
mining affected by radiation?
• If there is radiation (or uranium) in the water is it
safe to drink?
• What will happen to us if you don’t take the
uranium away?
• Many questions relate to background radiation!
The big question: Is background harmful?
• Villagers are just asking whether their children
will be harmed or not

7. HOW DO WE ANSWER?HOW DO WE ANSWER?
• “x in 100,000” (numerical) risk statements are
not comprehensible for villagers
• Uranium is natural
• Radiation is monitored to ensure levels are safe
• Water problems are NOT from radiation, water
problems come from animals and people
• Background radiation is not “Hatari”/“Danger”
• Unclean water is “Hatari”
• Water borne disease and mosquitoes are
“Hatari”

8. PERCEPTION VS REALITYPERCEPTION VS REALITY
• A perceived health risk:
– Cancer caused by natural background radiation
• Some of the real health risks in Tanzania (realities):
– 40% of hospital admissions are Malaria cases
– Malaria deaths in Tanzania (1 every 5 minutes)*
– 1.4 million people with HIV AIDS
– Unclean water (50%) & poor sanitation (70%)**
– 1 in 10 children die before their 5th birthday***
– Roads: Fatalities/vehicles/year = up to 100x more for LDCs
– Life expectancy 50 (HALE 40).
– Note: Australian life expectancy > 82** and cancer (31%)
– Cancer deaths in Tanzania = 4%
*Ministry of Health and Social Welfare
**World Health Organisation (2006)
***2007/08 Tanzania HIV/AIDS Malaria Indicator Survey

9. Source: WHO World Health Report 2002

12. Radiation in PerspectiveRadiation in Perspective
• Radiation exposure is relatively simple to
monitor and control (unlike mosquitoes!)
• Known health risks are more serious than
low‐dose radiation
• Radiation risk is a perceived risk, but
known health hazards impact on life
expectancy (they are real risks)
• This is true in Tanzania and Australia

13. SUMMARY
• The radiation protection community are
responsible for setting up systems of
radiation protection
• Real benefits to people come from the
reduction of real risks
• Providing clean water, mosquito nets,
medical care, education, opportunities...
• Uranium mining will assist in addressing
the real risks while ensuring that
radiation remains a minor risk

14. A question for you:
1 milliSievert or 1 mosquito bite
in a malaria area, which would
you sooner risk your health
on?
Thank You !