The Celtic League have written to the International Atomic Energy Agency (see below) to highlight concerns about technetium levels and radioactive pollution associated with the Sellafield nuclear reporcessing plant.
"Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei Director General International Atomic Energy Agency PO Box 100 Wagramer Strasse 5 A-1400 Vienna Austria
04/11/06
Dear Dr. ElBaradei.
I draw your attention to correspondence forwarded to various agencies last year highlighting concern about the increase in the incidence of technetium 99 in the marine environment of the Irish sea.
We were particularly alarmed at these figures because after steady growth of technetium discharges from 1995 to 1998 the pattern of contamination had levelled out and then steadily fallen.
Is the IAEA aware of this situation and if so has any explanation been sought from the British government.
Finally, I understand that the IAEA in 2000 did undertake a monitoring programme in conjunction with The Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII) and the Environment and Heritage Service of Northern Ireland in which an experimental buoy was sited in the north western Irish Sea, equipped with a radiation detector capable of continuously measuring radioactive contamination in seawater.
Could you advise what the result of that monitoring programme was and in view of the fact that the Sellafield complex in the north Irish sea is one of the most 'pollution critical' are there any plans to set up a more permanent collaborative international monitoring programme.
Yours faithfully,
J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League"
See also Celtic News Nos:
1972 - TECHNETIUM DECLINE - DON'T ACCEPT THE LEAGUES VIEW Jul 23, 2006 1926 - YEARS BEFORE TECHNETIUM CONCENTRATIONS REDUCE Apr 14, 2006
1834 - RPII MONITORING SHOWED SAME "ERRATIC CHANGES.. Dec 21, 2005
1785 - TECHNETIUM RISE - IRISH VIEW SOUGHT Sep 24, 2005 1769 - INCREASE IN TECHNETIUM-99 A WORRY Sep 5, 2005
J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League
04/11/06
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