Amsterdam / London, 1 August 1997
A new study funded by the British Department of Health has found plutonium
in the teeth of children throughout England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and
Wales. The study shows that radioactive discharges from the Sellafield
plutonium reprocessing factory (1) have contaminated people throughout the
region.
"This is a real wake-up call" said Damon Moglen of Greenpeace. "We cannot
be complacent. There is no possible excuse or justification for poisoning
children with plutonium. The British government should immediately [STOP
REPROCESSING AT SELLAFIELD AND CEASE ALL RADIOACTIVE DISCHARGES TO THE
ENVIRONMENT ."
The study, entitled "Variations in the Concentration of Plutonium,
Strontium-90, and Total Alpha-emitters in Human Teeth Collected within the
British Isles", has been published in The Science of the Total Environment
Journal. The study involved the evaluation of over 3,300 teeth which had
been extracted from adolescent children in the U.K.. Plutonium
contamination found in the teeth ranged from 3 to 7 millibecquerels per
kilogram. The levels of contamination are directly dependent on the
distance at which the children live from the Sellafield plutonium
reprocessing plant, on the Irish Sea coast of Cumbria.
The study's authors concluded that the source of plutonium has been
radioactive discharges from the Sellafield plant, which is operated by the
government-controlled British Nuclear Fuels Ltd (BNFL). The study suggests
that the plutonium contamination is "consistent" with aerial discharges
from the BNFL plant. Previous studies have shown that Sellafield's marine
discharges have lead to plutonium contamination of the coastal environment.
In order for plutonium to accumulate in childrens' teeth, particles of the
highly radiotoxic material would most probably be inhaled and filtered
through the bloodstream before being deposited in bones, teeth and/or the
liver. Plutonium, which is an alpha-emitter, is highly carcinogenic and
remains an extreme health hazard for tens of thousands of years if released
to the environment. Plutonium is effectively "man-made" and has been
produced primarily for use in nuclear weapons.
The study's dramatic findings are reminiscent of revelations in the late
1950s, early '60s that above-ground nuclear tests had lead to radioactive
contamination of childrens' bones and teeth. Public protest against this
contamination lead to the negotiation of the 1963 Limited Test Ban Treaty
(LTBT) which banned atmospheric nuclear tests.
"The international community moved decisively to stop the poisoning of
children by nuclear weapons tests, now it must do the same with radioactive
contamination and plutonium reprocessing" said Moglen.
The new revelations about pollution from Sellafield come in the midst of
growing concern in France about the La Hague plutonium factory, which
annually pumps some 230 million liters of nuclear waste into the Atlantic.
A recent study has identified a leukaemia cluster among children living
near the la Hague reprocessing plant. In addition, recent sampling by
Greenpeace has revealed the discharges from the government-controlled plant
have turned the sea-bed into a nuclear waste dump.
For information:
Damon Moglen, Greenpeace International, t.+1 202 319 25 13
Luisa Colasimone, Greenpeace Press Desk, t. +31 20 52 49 546
NOTE
(1) Beside UK domestic clients, Sellafield has signed plutonium
reprocessing contracts with Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain,
Sweden and The Netherlands.
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> From: tg@FISHER.BIZ.USYD.EDU.AU
> To: WORLD SYSTEMS NETWORK <wsn@csf.colorado.edu>
> Subject: Re: JAPANESE HIGH LEVEL NUCLEAR WASTE HEADING TO LA HAGUE &
> Date: Wednesday, August 13, 1997 07:20 PM
>
> Has anyone noticed the news item that the Japanese are about to begin
> seabed exploration after a 100m longterm investment in technology.
> That would make it resource less-dependent, semi-independent, or even
> independent. It would also make the Pacific island area exclusively
> techno-peripheral to Japan?
> Comments?
> Tzvi