§ 73. Mr. Boyd-Carpenterasked the Minister of Health what steps are taken to check the degree of radio activity of material in the River Thames resulting from the discharge of radio-active effluent from Harwell; and at what points on the river these checks are made
§ Mr. BevanEach batch of effluent is tested and certified at Harwell before discharge into the Thames and the total amount of radio-active material discharged is always known at Harwell and in my Department. The amount which can be discharged with safety has been determined on the recommendations of a scientific sub-committee of the Medical Research Council. The amounts so far discharged have been much below that safety limit, and would probably be too small, after dilution with river water, to be detected at all. Tests of the river water would not therefore, at present, be of any value.