nuclear-news

20 years on, radioactive debris still found on Scottish shore

Radioactive lockdown on the shores of Fife,  News Scotsman.com13 October 2011  A SECTION of Scottish coastline has been cordoned off after scientists found a radioactive object ten times more contaminated than any found there before.

Particles were first found on the shoreline of Dalgety Bay more than 20 years ago and the contamination has been linked to childhood cancer.

The radiation is believed to originate from radium coatings from dials on military aircraft based at Donibristle airbase which were incinerated after the Second World War.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has said around 100 new radioactive fragments wash up at Dalgety Bay each year.

Sepa expert Dr Paul Dale said the level of contamination found recently in one fairly large piece of debris found in Dalgety Bay measured ten megabecquerels.

Previously the highest level of radiation measured in the area was 1.1 megabecquerels. “What has changed is that this particle is ten times more active than anything we have found before.”

He said the radiation in the object uncovered was of a high enough level to cause burns to the skin. Radioactive particles can also cause health problems if injested – particularly by a child……

On Wednesday, Fife Council cordoned off an area of the foreshore close to the public footpath and temporarily erected further warning signs. In the short term, Sepa will continue the current investigation and ensure the removal of any further sources detected.”

Scottish environment secretary Richard Lochhead has now written to the Ministry of Defence calling for action.

He said: “We will continue to press the MoD to resolve the matter and, following the most recent survey work at Dalgety bay, I will be writing to the Secretary of State for Defence today to call for immediate action, and that the MoD meets its responsibilities……

Stan Blackley, chief executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “We’ve known about the radioactive items on Dalgety Bay since at least 1990, yet we’re still getting nasty surprises on a regular basis.

“It’s highly worrying that nuclear materials are still being uncovered, that there has been little effort to actually deal with this problem over the past twenty years.

“We still have no idea of the scale and number of radioactive items present, and the potential threat they pose to public health.”….

http://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/radioactive_lockdown_on_the_shores_of_fife_1_1909857

October 14, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, UK