Sellafield radioactive discharge reports inadequate

Sellafield radioactive discharge reports inadequate

EDINBURGH, Scotland,
7th March 2003 (ENS)

The monitoring of radioactive discharges from the British Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant on the Irish Sea is not adequate to give a comprehensive picture of the radioactivity's effects on the environment, particularly in Scotland, said the organization that represents local governments in the British Isles.

A report on the monitoring was commissioned by KIMO UK, which represents coastal authorities in Scotland, England and Wales. KIMO UK is affiliated with KIMO international, an environmental organization of local authorities representing over five million coastal inhabitants around northern Europe that works to clean up pollution in the North Sea.

Nuclear reprocessing plant at Sellafield discharges
a radioactive substance to the Irish Sea.
(Photo courtesy BNFL)

Under discussion at a meeting today in Edinburgh, the KIMO UK report concludes that the various monitoring regimes and, in particular those undertaken by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) "should cause serious concern."
"We do not believe that the current sampling regime provides SEPA with sufficient information to make adequate assessments to fulfil their statutory duties to protect the public health and the environment of Scotland," said Aberdeen Councillor Jurgen Thomaneck, who chairs KIMO UK.

"Simple assurances from officials or scientists that radioactivity levels are perfectly safe are no longer sufficient to satisfy public concerns," he said.

The "scale and scope" of the UK monitoring program falls short of what is needed to give a comprehensive picture of the effects of the Sellafield discharges on the Scottish environment, the report concludes. And the "scale and scope" of the sampling program in Solway Firth, the body of water on which Sellafield is located, is "inadequate," the report says.

Local monitoring results need to be presented in an easily understood format throughout Scotland, KIMO UK said today, but currently the data that results from whatever monitoring does take place is presented in a matter that makes it inaccessible to the public.

The use of seaweed as a fertilizer is widespread
in Scotland, and sheep regularly feed on seaweed
that may now be contaminated with radioactivity
from the Sellafield discharges, warned KIMO UK.
The organization is urging the Scottish
Environment Protection Agency to carry out a full
study into these two practices and conduct regular
sampling from the coast of seaweed, soil and
vegetables to provide public reassurance.

Seaweed on a Scottish beach (Photo credit unknown)

Given the widespread national and international concern over the discharges of technetium-99 (Tc-99) from Sellafield and its increased presence in the environment, KIMO UK said today, a greater effort is needed to inform the public and publish the results in a clear and concise way.
The British Environment Minister Margaret Beckett last December granted Sellafield operator British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. a permit to discharge technetium-99 (Tc-99) from Sellafield until 2006. At the same time, Beckett has asked the British radiation protection authority to investigate options for storing solidified Tc-99 waste on shore.

Today in Edinburgh, KIMO UK called for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and other relevant agencies to "immediately review their monitoring regimes" so that monitoring data can be presented in a manner that makes it understandable and accessible.

After the meeting Thomaneck said, ”We recognize that the regulatory
control of the Sellafield facility rests with the Environment Agency
for England and Wales. However, the discharges from Sellafield travel
as far away as the northern coast of Norway, passing both the east and
west coasts of the UK, including Scotland."

Aberdeen Councillor Jurgen Thomaneck
chairs KIMO UK.
(Photo courtesy Aberdeen City Council)

Calling for a review their current practices, Thomaneck said, "It is important to produce information in a form that we as local councillors can trust and can make available to our constituants." Local communities in each local authority area should be able to see the results of monitoring and compare them with previous results and neighboring communities, he said.
Details of all UK seawater sampling should be published annually. Foreign marine environment agencies carry out regular monitoring in and around Scottish waters and this data should be incorporated in the annual reports published in the UK, the report advises.

A program of monitoring farmed fish and farmed mussels and publishing the results would provide reassurance to consumers and provide early warning to producers of any potential problems.

The KIMO Report was compiled by the Northern European Information Group and will be available on the KIMO International website at: http://www.zetnet.co.uk/coms/kimo from March 10.

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