N-Base Briefing 194

N-Base Briefing 194 - 21st August 1999

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Another radioactive 'hotspot' found

The second radioactive 'hotspot' in three weeks has been found on the Sandside beach about a mile and a half from the Dounreay complex. This brings the total of particles found on the popular tourist beach to five over the past 15 years. The last two particles were found after improved monitoring equipment and techniques were introduced by UKAEA staff at the insistence of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

Scotland Against nuclear Dumping has warned that English tourists are still unwittingly using the Sandside beach while most Scottish visitors are aware of the discovery of radioactive waste on the beach.

In addition to the particles at Sandside over 300 have been found on the foreshore close to Dounreay and in sandbanks on the seabed off the site.

Controversy over virus theory

The recent publication of a study by Newcastle University which gave support to the theory of Dr Leo Kinlen that childhood leukaemia is a virus infection which is triggered in community where there has been a large influx of people and large mixing of population, especially when people from urban areas move into rural communities. The study found this theory could explain the clusters of increased leukaemia around Sellafield and Dounreay. There has been a mixed reaction to the study. While it was welcomed by the nuclear industry among others, cancer researchers and others have pointed out that the study does not rule out the possibility of radiation being a factor in the cancers and also that the virus has never been found or identified.

The leukaemia victim families, local environmental groups and others have also said that there is no international research support for the theory - there is only Dr Kinlen's work. While the government advisors on the Committee on Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE) has said the virus theory may be relevant, other factors such as radiation and chemicals may also be factors.

Cumbrians Opposed to a Radioactive Environment (CORE) dismissed the research as a red-herring and said that in some small Cumbrian villages close to the Irish Sea coast, where there has been little or no population-mixing, a significantly high rate of childhood leukaemia has been recorded. CORE said British Nuclear Fuels had paid out millions of pounds in compensation to its workers on a 20 per cent probability that the cancers were caused by radiation.

News in Brief

'Grey area'

Responsibilities for nuclear issues are a 'grey area' where there is confusion between the UK and Scottish governments. Friends of the Earth has warned that it is a 'murky grey area between Westminster and Holyrood' when commenting on the idea from UK government advisers that new low-level waste facilities that have to be built at Dounreay to deal with increased decommissioned waste from the site might also be used for waste from other nuclear site in Scotland.

High-level waste report

Details of a report on the disposal of the UK's high-level wastes and spent fuel have been published by Friends of the Earth. The leaked report was commissioned by the government in 1997 from consultants Quantisci. FoE said the report states there was no technology for dealing with high-level wastes; the need for urgent action to deal with the stockpile of plutonium, estimated to grow to 150 tonnes; and that plutonium might be mixed with high level wastes to reduce the proliferation risks from loses or thefts. FoE said the problems were being made worse by the continued reprocessing and production of plutonium by reprocessing at Sellafield.

Brent Spar's waste

A radioactive waste from the Brent Spar North Sea oil facility will be imported from Norway until an application from AEA Technology has been considered and approved by the Environment Agency. The plan is for the radioactive sludge to be taken initially to the AEAT site at Winfrith before being transported to the Drigg low-level waste dump in Cumbria. The Sellafield local Liaison Committee has been told the Agency does not consider the waste to be foreign as it was "generated from oil/gas fields in British Waters it is of British origin". However, the Agency says no decision has been taken on the application. Liaison committee members want to know if radioactive wastes from other redundant oil installations will also be taken to Drigg.

Transports resume

The transporting of spent fuel nuclear waste has resumed in Switzerland after they were suspended in May 1998 because of concern of contamination of the transport flasks and railway wagons. The first transport was spent fuel destined for the La Hague reprocessing plant in France.

'Abandon nuclear project'

Greece has called upon her neighbours Turkey to abandon plans for a nuclear reactor at Akkuyu in the aftermath of the recent earthquake. Although the new reactor is planned for Turkey's Aegean coast, far from the latest quake, the Greek government has warned that the area is subject to seismic activity. The Greek under-foreign secretary, Yannos Kranidiotis, said a nuclear reactor 'would pose a great danger because it is in an earthquake-prone area'.

Russians visit France

Representatives from the BN-600 fast breeder reactor in Russia recently visited the closed Superphenix fast reactor in France to discuss acquiring any equipment and materials which may be of use.