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Dr Lyman’s evidence can be pretty heavy going for the non technical reader. First, he explained safety problems in standards for transportation casks for land or sea shipment of spent fuel, high-level radioactive waste and specially with materials like plutonium or plutonium oxide. These standards have not been updated over many decades, and the  USA Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has not yet carried out tests intended to address this problem.

If a transport package of radioactive material is lost in the ocean, it could lead to significant long term contamination, if the package is not retrieved.

With increased transport, and speed of transport,  of radioactive wastes, the risk of such accidents is increased, and the NRC would have confidence in the current standard for transporting wastes.

Apart from accidents, the other big danger is terrorism.

SA NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE ROYAL COMMISSION  DR EDWIN LYMAN, Union of Concerned Scientists  TRANSCRIPT OF PROCEEDINGS ADELAIDE 7.30 AM, TUESDAY, 17 NOVEMBER…