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Inida’s nukes planned for populated areas, despite poor radiation safeguards

Radiating error, THE WEEK, Mayapuri incident exposes chinks in the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board’s armour. By Payal Saxena, June 12 India plans to have 20,000MW of nuclear energy by 2020 and triple that by 2032—an ambition that would translate into 31 nuclear reactors in all. Most plants are planned in areas with high population density, which could result in more headaches for the authorities already rattled by the radiation leak from cobalt 60 material at India’s largest scrap market of Mayapuri in Delhi in April. The incident proved beyond doubt that India lacked emergency preparedness and knowledge of the management of radiation-related incidents………………Despite AERB’s assurances of no further radiation leak in the Mayapuri market, Greenpeace conducted a survey and identified six hot spots with elevated radiation levels. Incidentally, two of them had radiation 5,000 times more than the background level.

The Mayapuri incident has exposed chinks in the radiation regulator’s armour. While DU was at fault for auctioning cobalt 60 material to scrap dealers, the AERB’s ignorance cannot be condoned. The Atomic Energy (Radiation Protection) Rules, 2004, say that the license to utilise radiological devices shall only be granted by a radiation safety officer (RSO) with the approval of the AERB. But DU had gained the license without an RSO…………..
As a rule, any trader registered with the state pollution control boards can import scrap metal and around 3,000-4,000 tonnes of junk metal enter the country every day. Furthermore, the port staffers do not bother to examine them mechanically.

According to a customs official, all that a trader requires is a certification that the scrap imported is not radioactive in nature. And obtaining this certificate is an easy job.

According to Greenpeace, there has been a mammoth increase in the use of radioactive isotopes, especially cobalt 60, in the health care sector and other industries. Though the DAE monitors the use and disposal of radioactive materials, its role is minimal when they enter India………….
India is not well-equipped even on the emergency preparedness front. The NDMA guidelines say that the 18 emergency response centres in the country are “far too inadequate”, and that it is the responsibility of state governments to establish more such centres. The guidelines recommend that a database of RSOs be prepared and made available at the national and state levels by the AERB, and that specialised response teams be raised. They also propose at least one mobile, radiological laboratory unit in each district to support detection, protection and decontamination procedures to be set up by the ministry of health and family affairs. However, only a few such mobile radiological laboratories are available with the DAE and the DRDO.

Radiating error

June 14, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, safety | AUSTRALIA, nuclear, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, radioactive, reactors