leaching

This unusual imbalance suggested that liquid water had once seeped through the rocks, effectively leaching lutetium out of them.

Regular tests show surface water in the Faughan is not affected, but groundwater under the landfill is polluted and the aim is to prevent this leaching into the river.

With rare earths, it's not so much about the mining footprint, rather the processing that is a dirty business – because it involves extraction, leaching, thermal cracking and refining which produce radioactive components.

"And the rusting metal in there is starting to leach. The iron and nickel and copper is leaching out over the rocks and it looks unsightly."

Fitzgerald said the EPA has installed liners to prevent toxic materials from leaching into the soil.