杏吧原创

THE number of 鈥渁ccidents and incidents鈥� occurring while radioactive materials
were being shipped around Britain doubled in the 11 years up to and including
2000. Almost 300 shipments of nuclear materials were contaminated, damaged or
lost between 1990 and 2000, according to the National Radiological Protection
Board (NRPB). There were 38 incidents recorded by nuclear regulators in
2000鈥� the last year for which figures are available鈥攁gainst 19 in
1990.

An NRPB report, which was quietly posted on the website of the Department for
Transport, Local Government and the Regions last month
(www.shipping.dtlr.gov.uk/trm/2000review),
describes the incidents that occurred
in 2000. They included a derailment, a road crash and numerous packages of
radioactive isotopes being run over by vehicles, mislabelled or stolen.

Some incidents related to illegal dumping of radioactive materials. In one of
them, 30 industrial smoke detectors containing the alpha emitter americium-241
were discarded in a country park.

There were an 鈥渦nusually high鈥� number of incidents while spent fuel from
nuclear power stations was being taken by train to the Sellafield reprocessing
plant in Cumbria, the report says. Six fuel flasks and four rail wagons were
contaminated with radioactivity at levels that breached safety limits.

The NRPB attributes the overall increase in incidents to 鈥渁 greater volume of
traffic, higher reporting efficiency and an increase in materials being detected
and reported in scrap metal鈥�. Some of the events in 2000 had the potential to
expose workers to radioactivity, it says, but 鈥渋t is very unlikely that any
significant doses were received鈥�.

But local authorities that oppose the transport of nuclear materials through
their areas say the rising number of incidents is a 鈥渟erious concern for public
safety鈥�, and they question the need for so many shipments. Pressure group
Greenpeace dubbed trains carrying nuclear waste 鈥渁 mobile terrorist target鈥�.