NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #19/NN_1992_19.iso/spool/misc/activism/progress/6203

Internet Message Format | 1992-08-30 | 3.8 KB

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From: Greenpeace via Jym Dyer <[e-mail]>
Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive,alt.activism,talk.environment
Subject: NEWS: Radioactive Sand Proves Nuclear Reprocessing Unlawful
Followup-To: talk.environment
Date: 1 Sep 1992 22:11:13 GMT
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[Greenpeace Press Release from Greenbase -- Redistribute Freely]

RADIOACTIVE SAND FROM SELLAFIELD PROVES NUCLEAR REPROCESSING IS
UNLAWFUL

GERMANY, August 18, 1992 (GP) In an old bunker in the free port
of Hamburg Greenpeace is today presenting to the press
radioactive sand contaminated with plutonium. Sand from the shore
in the area around the Sellafield reprocessing plant in England.
Sand in which children play and families have their picnics.
Many people have become ill with cancer in this region.
Greenpeace took the sand as soil samples in May and June 1992.
  A new reprocessing plant, THORP, as it is called, in which
spent fuel rods from German nuclear power stations should
also be reprocessed, is due to go into operation at
Sellafield this autumn.  With THORP the total emissions from
plants at Sellafield will increase by 1,000 per cent.  "The
Ministers of the federal German states and the Federal
Minister of the Environment will then be partly responsible for
this scandal," says Roland Hipp, Greenpeace's expert in nuclear
issues.  Up to 27.5 million curies of radioactivity will then be
released annually.  This may be compared with
the approximately 50 million curies which, according to
official data, were released at Chernobyl during the
accident.
  The sand Greenpeace is today presenting to the press and
media proves that reprocessing in England contradicts the
German Atomic Energy Act.  This stipulates "harmless
recycling" in keeping with "state-of-the-art science and
technology".  Given these emissions and contamination there can
be no talk of "harmless recycling".  The Environment
Ministers of the states of Hamburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony and
Schleswig Holstein have already published reports which
clearly state that the Federal Minister of the Environment
is violating current German law by his licensing
reprocessing abroad.
  Scientists from Bremen University conducting gamma-
spectrometric analyses detected in the samples Greenpeace
took at Sellafield in May up to 9,435 becquerels of caesium 137
and 8,520 becquerels of americium 241 per kilogramme of earth.
Their alpha-spectrometric analyses revealed up to
6,747 becquerels of plutonium 239/40.  These analyses were
made on the basis of the samples' weight when wet.
Manchester University analyzed the June samples on the basis of
their dry weight.  The results proved worse still - the
scientists there detected concentrations of activity of up
to 13,000 becquerels of caesium 137 and up to 27,000
becquerels of americium 241 per kilogramme.  In their alpha-
spectrometric analyses they found up to 10,800 becquerels of
plutonium 239 in the dried sand.
  "Given these alarming results and the legally untenable
situation we demand of the Environment Minister, Mr.
Toepfer, and the federal state Ministers responsible, that
it be decided to withdraw from reprocessing immediately,"
says Roland Hipp.  In support of this Greenpeace is now
starting a tour of all those responsible for the
reprocessing throughout Germany.  The irradiating sand from
Sellafield should support its arguments for withdrawal from
reprocessing in the bodies concerned.