TAMWORTH Regional Council water director Bruce Logan said he wanted to wait until he had to the answers to the inevitable community concern.
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But council could be waiting another two weeks before the risks – if there are any – are revealed.
Hunter New England public health physician Dr David Durrheim said people would need a lifetime of exposure to uranium above Australian Drinking Water Guidelines to experience acute effects.
“The drinking water guidelines are not a magical number, it's the trigger to investigate further,” he said.
Dr Durrheim said the kidneys were more likely than any other organ to be affected.
Any risk would be determined by the form of uranium present in the water bore. Dr Durrheim said exposure was “generally through drinking or potable use”, such as cooking.