N-Base Briefing 182

N-BASE BRIEFING 182 - 29th May 1999

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182.1 Dounreay News

Plant evacuated after fire

A canister containing uranium waste caught fire in the D1204 uranium reprocessing plant on Thursday. The area was evacuated and nine workers given health checks as a precaution although the operators said that as far as they knew so far no-one had been contaminated and there was no release of radioactivity to the environment. The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency are investigating the incident, as well as the operators, the UKAEA. The D1204 plant is presently in the very early stages of decommissioning.

Jobs increase

The number of jobs at Dounreay is at the highest since the Prototype Fast Reactor (PFR) was closed in 1994 - despite predictions at the time that the closure would be an economic disaster for the area with job estimates as low as about 500. A total of 1,760 people are now employed at Dounreay. It is expected that the total will increase to over 1,800 next year, only 300 less than the total when the PFR was closed.

182.2 New large-scale leukaemia study

A major study of over 46,000 children born to male and female workers in the nuclear industry has concluded that the incidence of cancer and leukaemia among these children is similar to that in the general population. The study, financed by the Department of Health and the Health and Safety Executive was carried out by staff at the University of Leeds and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and covered sites operated by the UKAEA, including Dounreay, BNFL and the Atomic Weapons Establishment, including Aldermaston. The results of the study, however, were not all good news for the industry - the study was strongly criticised by British Nuclear Fuels.

The research found it was impossible to prove, or disprove the research of the late Prof Martin Gardner, which claimed a link between cancer and leukaemia rates and the father's exposure to radiation prior to conception, partly because of the very small numbers involved.

The study did find that the leukaemia risk for children whose father had been exposed to radiation before conception were twice that of other children and those the leukaemia rate in fathers exposed to high doses of radiation, over 100 mSv, was 5.8 times that in children conceived before their fathers' employment in the nuclear industry. However the researcher again cautioned that the figures involved were very small.

182.3 News in Brief

Plutonium security approved

The United States government has accepted the security arrangements for transport plutonium MOX fuel from the UK and France to Japan - the US had to approve the arrangements because the original fuel which was reprocessed to produce the plutonium was of American origin. The security arrangements consist of the arming of the two vessels, Pacific Teal and Pacific Pintail, with three light 30mm canons each, plus heavily armed UKAEA police onboard and the two ships sailing together. It is estimated that the first shipments of MOX fuel, scheduled for 'later this year' will include 450kg of weapons-usable plutonium. It had been feared that the US would insist on the vessels being escorted by armed naval vessels which would have greatly increased the costs.

Mobile phone risks 'not proven'

The National Radiological Protection Board has determined that on the basis of current research there is no significance increased risk of brain tumours or cancers from using mobile phones. The NRPB said a Swedish study which claimed a two-and-a-half increase in the risk of cancer 'lacked statistical precision'.

Meacher favours underground repository

Environment minister Michael Meacher has given the first indication of the government's likely response to the House of Lords Select Committee report on nuclear waste which was published two months ago. Speaking in London Mr Meacher is reported to have supported a deep underground repository for the waste. however he said the repository should not be 'back-filled', but designed so the waste could be retrieved if necessary.

Police force did well

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary has published a favourable report on the work of the UK Atomic Energy Authority police force only a year after the force's chief resigned because of lack of investment and staff to carry of the force's task of guarding the country's nuclear sites.