PLANNED discharges of nuclear waste from the Scottish reprocessing plant at Dounreay could give Europeans a dose of radioactivity four times higher than they already receive from the nuclear plant at Sellafield, says a leading radiation consultant. The discharges from Dounreay could expose local people to radiation levels that breach Britain鈥檚 voluntary safety limit.
Sellafield reprocesses more than 1000 tonnes of spent fuel from nuclear reactors every year, compared with only 5 tonnes a year at Dounreay. David Sumner, a research fellow at the University of Glasgow, accuses Dounreay of failing to install the same treatment and filtration technology used at Sellafield. He says that Dounreay is not using the 鈥渂est practicable means鈥� to reduce discharges as the law requires.
Dounreay鈥檚 operator, the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), has applied to the Scottish Office鈥檚 Industrial Pollution Inspectorate for permission to increase its discharges into the sea and air. Sumner was commissioned by the Western Isles Council to examine the application, and his report is published this week.
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Sumner points out that Dounreay currently discharges only 10 per cent of the maximum limit set by the inspectorate. It is planning to increase this to 50 per cent. 鈥淭he expected levels of discharge will rise by factors of up to twenty,鈥� he says.
The UKAEA鈥檚 figures show that annual radiation exposure to the three groups of local people most at risk 鈥� salmon fishermen, winkle eaters and anyone who spends hours on rocky inlets near Dounreay 鈥� could reach 160 microsieverts. Sumner argues that people who combine these activities could end up exceeding the maximum dose of 300 microsieverts a year recommended by the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB).
At the same time, another radiation consultant accuses Dounreay of ignoring potential radiation doses from emissions of carbon-14 and iodine-129, two very longlived radionuclides. Ian Fairlie from Imperial College in London estimates that including the two isotopes would more than double the global radiation dose delivered by Dounreay. 鈥淭hese are serious omissions,鈥� he says in a report for an anti-nuclear group of local authorities, also released this week. Both Fairlie and Sumner are calling for a public inquiry.
The UKAEA denies that anyone will be exposed to levels above the NRPB鈥檚 voluntary limits. 鈥淥ur discharges are low and we continue to seek to improve our record. We are investing in new equipment,鈥� says Dounreay鈥檚 spokesman Morris Grant.
