§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he is taking in respect of his Department's aquatic environment monitoring report No. 23 insofar as this relates to the increase in the level of and exposure to radiation in 1989 by members of the public as a result of eating seafood; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CurryThe report referred to by the hon. Member shows that, in 1989, the highest dose received by consumers of large quantities of locally-gathered shellfish in the Sellafield area was 0.19 mSv. This is one quarter of the equivalent dose rate of four years earlier. This substantial reduction in the exposure to radiation as a result of eating seafood is a demonstration of the effectiveness of the Government's controls on nuclear discharges.
The minor fluctuations in dose rate over the most recent years are due to natural variations. The downward trend is expected to be resumed from 1993 when new treatment plant now being constructed at Sellafield is commissioned. Meanwhile the dose of 0.19 mSv is only one fifth of the internationally recognised limit of 1 mSv.