HC Deb 07 December 1983 vol 50 cc154-5W
Sir Walter Clegg

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the results of the monitoring of fish and shellfish which his Department has carried out following the recent incident at Sellafield; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. MacGregor

My Department's fisheries radiobiological laboratory has analysed samples of fish and shellfish collected in the Sellafield area. For fish the range of values obtained was consistent with the levels of radioactivity that would have been expected prior to the incident. The concentrations of caesium are in general less than those recently published for 1981 reflecting the reduction in 137Cs discharges from Sellafield. No other radionuclides were detected in fish. It is clear from these results that any additional exposure to members of the public resulting from the recent incident through the consumption of fish would be negligible.

For shellfish only 106Ru in some samples of mussels was found at a significantly higher level than usual., and there is some evidence that even this may be declining. Even on the most pessimistic assumptions the resulting doses to the most exposed members of the public would not approach the limit recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection. Details of the results are given in the following tables:

Fish Flesh—November 1983
Date Location Type 137Cs Bq. kg-1
15 November 1983 Ravenglass Plaice 240
Cod 250
16 November 1983 Whitehaven Market Plaice 110
18 November 1983 Sellafield Pipeline Area Plaice 260
Whiting 400
Flounder 310
Brill 490
Dab 280
Codling 230
20 November 1983 Whitehaven Market Plaice 170
Ravensglass Cod 360
22 November 1983 Whitehaven Market Cod 100
24 November 1983 Drigg Cod 540
Whitehaven Market Herring 64

Shellfish—November 1983
Concentrations Bq. kg-1 (wet)
Date Location Type 106Ru 95Zr 95Nb 137Cs 241Am
15 November 1983 Nethertown Winkles 3,400 120 400 180 18
18 November 1983 Sellafield pipeline (sea) Whelks 1,400 24 99 110 11
21 November 1983 Sellafield (Beach) Winkles 8,600 460 1,700 250 95
Mussels 29,000 2,000 5,200 150 42
St. Bees Winkles 2,000 52 150 82 17
Mussels 3,100 92 280 81 45
Limpets 1,700 160 370 130 56
22 November 1983 Ravenglass Mussels 5,900 420 2,400 98 57
24 November 1983 Drigg Mussels 14,000 790 2,200 160 ND
Barnscar Winkles 4,500 140 490 160 60
29 November 1983 Sellafield (Beach) Mussels 8,100 470 1,170 79 28