West Cumbria Sites Stakeholder Group
News archive
Below are all our archived news.
Antimony 125 aerial discharges
The following item has appeared in the Sellafield Newsletter relating to the issue of Antimony 125 aerial discharges:-
Newsletter piece – Antimony 125
Sellafield Ltd has worked very closely with several key stakeholders to find the best possible environmental outcome over the issue of Antimony 125 releases to air.
Analytical results have indicated that the site aerial discharge limit for Antimony 125 has been exceeded.
A Sellafield Ltd spokesman said: “The environmental impact of the aerial discharges of Antimony 125 is insignificant, even beyond the discharge limit.
"The dose to the critical local group is in the region of 0.03 microseiverts per year, which compares with an average of 2,400 microseiverts from natural sources of radioactivity or 140 microseiverts from a transatlantic return flight.
"The impact on the vast majority of people would be even less.”
Confirmation of the results is expected around 29th September when all analysis and accountancy measures are completed.
The source of the discharge is associated with the decanning of irradiated fuel in the Magnox Fuel Handling Plant.
Magnox reprocessing operations were halted briefly in June, before resuming on the basis that it was the best long term environmental option.
The spokesman added: “We are obliged to apply the principles of Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO) to all of our operations on the Sellafield site.
"We therefore continue to work closely with the Environment Agency, the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, the Department of Energy and Climate Change and other key stakeholders to find a long term solution to the issue of the Antimony 125 discharge limit.
"We have asked the EA to raise the discharge limit and we await the outcome of that request. “
However, the existing limit cannot be revised formally until a European Community opinion, required under Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty, has been received.
In the meantime, the justification for continued reprocessing of nuclear fuel identified in the BPM case has been accepted by the regulators.
The issue has been given a classification of INES level 1 (anomaly).
ENDS
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