Australia- Environmental protection Agency reveals where ‘low level’ nuclear waste is stored in Adelaide suburbs

• Miles Kemp
• The Advertiser
• February 25, 2014

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/environmental-protection-agency-reveals-where-low-level-nuclear-waste-is-stored-in-adelaide-suburbs/story-fni6uo1m-1226837598811

SOME of Adelaide’s most prominent residential suburbs are home to radioactive waste and storage, the Environment Protection Authority has revealed.

Other than the CBD, the Adelaide Hills with 39 sites has the most number of small storages which include low and intermediate low-level radioactive waste.

The details are revealed in documents released under the Freedom of Information Act, even though this has previously been denied by the EPA.

An EPA spokeswoman said most of the sources were being stored or used in machines that required radiation, but could not say home many were waste.

READ MORE: Radiactive waste stored near homes

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“The majority would be unsealed radioactive substances used in premises such as nuclear medicine departments and sealed radioactive sources in plant and equipment used in mining, industrial, medical and scientific applications,’’ she said.

“The majority of sealed radioactive sources and unsealed radioactive substances in premises within SA are currently being used or stored.

“Any waste would be very low level to intermediate low level waste.’’

Other Adelaide suburbs which have sites include; Thebarton 27 sites, Bedford Park 26, Mawson Lakes 23, Osborne 21, Urrbrae 19, Norwood 17, Keswick 14, Woodville 13, Black Forest 10, Wingfield 11, North Adelaide 7, Glenside 7, Export park 5, Gillman 5, Bellevue Heights 3, Cheltenham 3, Glenelg 3, two each as Camden Park, Edwardstown, Elizabeth, Ashford, Kent Town, Regency Park, and one each at Evanston Park, Blackwood, Burton, Gepps Cross, Golden Grove and Noarlunga.

In total the EPA lists 928 sites, mostly at mine sites in remove locations.

Family First MLC Robert Brokenshire said he sought the information using the Freedom of Information Act because people had a right to know what was being stored in their suburb.

The Rann government campaigned heavily against a nuclear storage facility in outback SA, which left the disposal of low and mid-level radioactive waste in limbo, he said.

“Labor Government decided to play games on the storage of nuclear waste, which worked against the safety and security of our whole state,’’ Mr Brokenshire said.

“Labor should have sat down and worked out a plan for nuclear waste storage. Now we have waste stored throughout the suburbs.’’

The EPA spokeswoman said there was no high-level radioactive waste stored in SA.

She said it was “very low level to intermediate level category, and does not pose a risk to the community if stored in accordance with the Regulations under the Act’’.

“Owners are required to abide by the requirements of the Radiation protection and Control Ionising Radiation Regulations 2000 under the Radiation Protection and Control Act 1982, have a radiation management plan for their practice, and if applicable the (national) code of practice for the security of radioactive sources,’’ the spokeswoman said.

The EPA spokeswoman said since the last full audit of radioactive waste in 2003, efforts had been made to remove waste from SA.

“Since the report was published there has been a significant effort by organisations to dispose of their waste and remove waste from SA by sending sealed radioactive sources that were considered waste, overseas for re-use or storage in waste facilities,’’ she said.

February 26, 2014 - Posted by arclight2011part2 | Uncategorized