HC Deb 10 March 1986 vol 93 cc337-8W
Mr. Frank Cook

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will identify the section of the process at the British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. Sellafield works from which the matter discharged on 23 January originated; and if he will place in the Library a full and detailed flow diagram of the reprocessing operations overall, clearly identifying the location of the source of the discharged liquor.

Mr. Waldegrave

The section of the process from which uranium originated and was subsequently discharged on 23 January was the uranium finishing stage, where purified uranium solution is handled. A flow diagram of the overall reprocessing cycle will be placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Frank Cook

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what filtering, mixing, dilution, conditioning and temperature adjustment was carried out on the relevant liquor before or during the operations at Sellafield to discharge it into the Irish sea on 23 January.

Mr. Waldegrave

In passing through the normal low active waste treatment stages, the uranium solution was diluted 25 times by water and other wastes, neutralised with ammonium hydroxide and screened to remove any flotsam, all at ambient temperature.

Mr. Frank Cook

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library copies of the monitoring records for the marine environments, sea and beaches, following the sea discharge of 23 January; and if he will make a statement assessing the hazards to the health of members of the public residing in the immediate area of the Sellafield plant, as a result of this discharge.

Mr. Gummer

I have been asked to reply.

My Department's assessment is that the discharge in question is unlikely to have any significant effect on the people most exposed to radioactivity from Sellafield since it amounted to only about one millionth of the annual limit allowed by the International Commission on Radiological Protection. My Department already undertakes a substantial monitoring programme, the results of which are published annually and placed in the Library. No additional monitoring is required on account of this discharge.