Radioactive waste into east coast waters - petition

[Sailingsaves]

I wish I could place this on scuttlebutt too, but here it is.

A local group to river blackwater have found out that Magnox are to dissolve radioactive metal casings and the resultant mush is to be discharged into the sea.

I am not against nuclear power IF it is handled responsibly, but fear that will never be the case if it is handled by companies that wish to make a profit.

Bradwell already found a toxic waste tank 'lake' that was supposed to be covered, uncovered, some years ago, full of dead animals.

Have a read and decide if you wish to sign the petition (only 733 signed so far).

http://www.essexcountystandard.co.u...ll_Power_Station_entering_Blackwater_estuary/

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions...atmosphere-of-the-blackwater-estuary-in-essex.

As a dinghy sailor I am even more worried about what is in the brine.

And to think the Maldon Salt company use this water to make food stuff...

 

[Sailingsaves]

Just seen that there is a post slightly along these lines.

But the newspaper states that there is no independent testing to prove that Magnox are stating the truth.

I visited Bradwell when it was working and it was creepy (ok, no facts there, but gut reaction is ok in my book).

I studied particle physics and radioactivity.

I used to crew on the Smack Telegraph and Colin (skipper) stated that he once found an employee with Geiger counter in hand and after a chat, employee confided in Colin "to be careful in these waters" - ok - just talk so far.

But a petition would at least get Magnox to maybe hire an independent analyst?

Surely one cannot be too careful with radioactivity and the health of our sea and planet?

 

[DavidofMersea]

I studied particle physics and radioactivity.

I know nothing about nuclear power generation. In view of your studies would you care to comment on Burnham Bob's post? particularly "The discharge is Tritium - an isotope of hydrogen. Much is known about Tritium - so it's hardly untested and unresearched. Tritium occurs naturally to a certain extent and there are even acceptable levels laid down for drinking water in some countries. Contact is harmless, and the dangers are inhalation or ingestion in quantity - unlikely even if you fall into the Blackwater".

I know the Chairman of Baang and his secretary wife very well, and whilst they are great friends of many years, they do tend to get a bit hysterical and make up a few facts to support their opinion.

 

[Sailingsaves]

I know nothing about nuclear power generation. In view of your studies would you care to comment on Burnham Bob's post? particularly "The discharge is Tritium - an isotope of hydrogen. Much is known about Tritium - so it's hardly untested and unresearched. Tritium occurs naturally to a certain extent and there are even acceptable levels laid down for drinking water in some countries. Contact is harmless, and the dangers are inhalation or ingestion in quantity - unlikely even if you fall into the Blackwater".

I know the Chairman of Baang and his secretary wife very well, and whilst they are great friends of many years, they do tend to get a bit hysterical and make up a few facts to support their opinion.

Bob is correct. (But is that all Magnox are dumping?) I am not a green fiend. My wife tries to make me recycle whereas I think it is asking for rats. I think big companies need to do more.
Until nuclear power is handled correctly (and there have been WAY too many incidents at Bradwell) then it should not be used because the repercussions are so long lasting (generally). I am for nuclear power, but in the correct hands and those hands are not in existence yet.

The risks from tritium are small, due mostly to:

it is a low energy beta emitter;
chemically behaves like water in the body (forms HTO or T2O - water);
has a 12.3 year half-life.

While not impossible, a large enough dose to cause any significant harm to a person is unlikely. It is a hazard, and should be treated like any other.


Tritium has leaked from 48 of 65 nuclear sites in the US. In one case it was detected in groundwater at levels exceeding the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water standards by up to 375 times.

The legal limits for tritium in drinking water vary from country to country. Some figures are given below.

Tritium drinking water limits in various countries.

World Health Organization: 10,000 Bq/L.
Canada: 7,000 Bq/L.
United States: 740 Bq/L or 20,000 pCi/L (Safe Drinking Water Act)
European Union: "investigative" limit of 100 Bq/L.

 

[Sixpence]

It's probably not a good idea to drink the water out of the Blackwater anyway, I think it'll make you a little poorly

 

[john_q]

It's probably not a good idea to drink the water out of the Blackwater anyway, I think it'll make you a little poorly

It is not called Blackwater for nothing!

 

[DavidofMersea]

Bob is correct. (But is that all Magnox are dumping?) I am not a green fiend. My wife tries to make me recycle whereas I think it is asking for rats. I think big companies need to do more.
Until nuclear power is handled correctly (and there have been WAY too many incidents at Bradwell) then it should not be used because the repercussions are so long lasting (generally). I am for nuclear power, but in the correct hands and those hands are not in existence yet.

The risks from tritium are small, due mostly to:

it is a low energy beta emitter;
chemically behaves like water in the body (forms HTO or T2O - water);
has a 12.3 year half-life.

While not impossible, a large enough dose to cause any significant harm to a person is unlikely. It is a hazard, and should be treated like any other.


Tritium has leaked from 48 of 65 nuclear sites in the US. In one case it was detected in groundwater at levels exceeding the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water standards by up to 375 times.

The legal limits for tritium in drinking water vary from country to country. Some figures are given below.

Tritium drinking water limits in various countries.

World Health Organization: 10,000 Bq/L.
Canada: 7,000 Bq/L.
United States: 740 Bq/L or 20,000 pCi/L (Safe Drinking Water Act)
European Union: "investigative" limit of 100 Bq/L.

I have just forwarded your post to BAANG, and Varrie Blowers, the secretary of BAANG, replied "Strange that only Tritium is known about on the chatroom" - so according to BAANG Bradwell are discharging something else as well, that we don't know about

 

[MoodySabre]

Given the large number of adults and children involved in watersports on the Blackwater and Colne I think it is essential that any discharges are cleared at a higher than the EA (whose recent record of protection the populous has been severely dented). I have therefore signed the petition but as there are only 772 so far this is more in hope than expectation.

 

[DavidofMersea]

Given the large number of adults and children involved in watersports on the Blackwater and Colne I think it is essential that any discharges are cleared at a higher than the EA (whose recent record of protection the populous has been severely dented). I have therefore signed the petition but as there are only 772 so far this is more in hope than expectation.

Varrie Blowers does not tell us what else she thinks is being discharged in the Blackwater, she is great on conspiracy theories - Although she is a very good friend, I don't take her seriously, she used to say they were making nuclear bombs in Bradwell

 

[Mariner69]

I studied particle physics and radioactivity.

To what level did you study particle physics and radioactivity?

 

[Burnham Bob]

BAANG don't give out any information to support their case. What do they know that we don't? The answer is that they feel they do not need to know because their views are entrenched and immovable. Their innate antipathy to nuclear power simply makes them automatic critics of anything at all to do with a new station at Bradwell and the decommissioning of the old one and that antipathy is translated into local hysteria. Sad to say, the fall back position of lots of people in the same camp when faced with the facts is the reply 'the government and the nuclear industry are lying to you.' The schoolchildren lined up to be filmed on Look East really had no idea what they were protesting about. What BAANG says is taken as truth. What is interesting is that BATTLE (Bradwell and Tillingham Tackling Lost Environment) was desperately opposed to the wind farms in Bradwell. BAANG is opposed to a new power station. Here in Burnham we have BROOD (Burnham Residents Opposed to Over Development) fighting BRIM (Burnham Residents in favour of Modernisation). Anyone it seems can create a single interest group, find an acronym and get vast publicity. I'm inviting all forumites to join BRASSO (Burnham Residents Against So many Silly Organisations). I do think that the Local Authority, MAGNOX and the Department of the Environment should counter BAANG's allegations. The fact that BAANG has no facts to support its case doesn't mean that the responsible authorites are right to treat them as nothing more than a nuisance that they don't need to bother with.

 

[DavidofMersea]

BAANG don't give out any information to support their case. What do they know that we don't? The answer is that they feel they do not need to know because their views are entrenched and immovable. Their innate antipathy to nuclear power simply makes them automatic critics of anything at all to do with a new station at Bradwell and the decommissioning of the old one and that antipathy is translated into local hysteria. Sad to say, the fall back position of lots of people in the same camp when faced with the facts is the reply 'the government and the nuclear industry are lying to you.' The schoolchildren lined up to be filmed on Look East really had no idea what they were protesting about. What BAANG says is taken as truth. What is interesting is that BATTLE (Bradwell and Tillingham Tackling Lost Environment) was desperately opposed to the wind farms in Bradwell. BAANG is opposed to a new power station. Here in Burnham we have BROOD (Burnham Residents Opposed to Over Development) fighting BRIM (Burnham Residents in favour of Modernisation). Anyone it seems can create a single interest group, find an acronym and get vast publicity. I'm inviting all forumites to join BRASSO (Burnham Residents Against So many Silly Organisations). I do think that the Local Authority, MAGNOX and the Department of the Environment should counter BAANG's allegations. The fact that BAANG has no facts to support its case doesn't mean that the responsible authorites are right to treat them as nothing more than a nuisance that they don't need to bother with.

I think you are quite right. As I said previously I am great friends with Andy and Varrie Blowers of BAANG, and I have been hearing all this stuff since the formation of BAANG several years ago. As you say BAANG seems to have the attitude that Nuclear power generation, the decommissioning etc is dangerious, and we don't need to know why, because they do, and they say it is dangerous. I have just written to Varrie Blowers (BAANG Secretary) challenging her to respond to your post and also tell us what else in being discharged from the old power station in addition to Tritium

 

[Burnham Bob]

Thanks David. After the hoiday I will try to get an official statement from Magnox to put into the public domain. I'll go to their PR department with a query about local press coverage. It's unlikely that the Magnox press cuttings monitoring service bothers with the Maldon and Burnham Standard so they may be blissfully unaware that BAANG are getting as much coverage as they are.

 

[bedouin]

There may be lots of reasons to be concerned about the decommissioning - but Tritium certainly isn't one of them.

 

[DavidofMersea]

There may be lots of reasons to be concerned about the decommissioning - but Tritium certainly isn't one of them.

.... and if there are lots of other reasons to be concerned BAANG are not going to tell us what they are, we just have to believe BAANG that there are some such reasons

 

[DavidofMersea]

The schoolchildren lined up to be filmed on Look East really had no idea what they were protesting about. What BAANG says is taken as truth.

It seems quite wrong and unprofessional to use school children to promote a protest group, and worse still if it is ill informed, especially if it has nothing to do with education, schooling etc

 

[michelleannB]

Nuclear power is not the only industry that creates radioactive wastes. Other industries include medicine, particle and space research, oil and gas, and mining - to name just a few. Some of these materials are not produced inside a reactor, but rather are concentrated forms of naturally occurring radioactive material. All radioactive waste facilities are designed with numerous layers of protection to make sure that people remain protected for as long as it takes for radioactivity to reduce to background levels. A nuclear waste treatment facility in the south of France was shaken by a blast. The explosion murdered one and injured four others. French authorities say that no radiation was leaked in the incident. France is the planet's most nuclear-dependent country. You can read more at http://www.newsytype.com/11226-explosion-french-nuclear-facility/.

 

[jerrytug]

Yes, and attention-seeking, hysterical conspiracy-theorists should march, in line abreast, towards the LOUNGE, (or a science textbook), as this is a place to discuss yachts and whatnot.

 

[Burnham Bob]

I think that's a little harsh jerrytug. for those of us that sail the blackwater, if there is a danger or hazard, it needs to be aired. if there is a 'scare' - which is all this is, then it needs to be debunked and quickly. the point about this thread is that someone is saying the blackwater could be dangerous to sail or swim in. the conspiracy theorists are the ones who are claiming there is a problem. we are just trying to see if there really is a problem - and there isn't. but the post prior to yours does not, I agree. get anyone any further.

 

[sailorman]

Nuclear power is not the only industry that creates radioactive wastes. Other industries include medicine, particle and space research, oil and gas, and mining - to name just a few. Some of these materials are not produced inside a reactor, but rather are concentrated forms of naturally occurring radioactive material. All radioactive waste facilities are designed with numerous layers of protection to make sure that people remain protected for as long as it takes for radioactivity to reduce to background levels. A nuclear waste treatment facility in the south of France was shaken by a blast. The explosion murdered one and injured four others. French authorities say that no radiation was leaked in the incident. France is the planet's most nuclear-dependent country. You can read more at http://www.newsytype.com/11226-explosion-french-nuclear-facility/.

and we import a lot of power from France