§ Dr. David Clarkasked the Secretary of State for the Environment at what level alpha emitters were detected on 5 May; at what locations and by whom; what further investigations have been carried out or are planned as a result; what has been the trend in the level of alpha emitters detected since 5 May; and if he will make a statement.
463W
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe complete monitoring data arising from the Chernobyl incident is being collated and will shortly be published through Her Majesty's Stationery Office. A copy will be deposited in the Library of the House of Commons.
§ Dr. David Clarkasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to the level of caesium 137 detected by the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology at Ennerdale in Cumbria on 5 May; how this figure compares with the normal background readings for caesium 137; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaldegraveOn 5 May the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE), during an analysis of radioactivity levels on the Cumbrian Fells, recorded 16,900 Bq of caesium 137 per kilogram of grass on Ennerdale Fells and passed the information to my Department and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The measurement was included in the collection of monitoring results my Department made available to the public on 15 May.
ITE's analysis was carried out on dried samples, which gives results about five times greater than those obtained on freshly harvested grass, which is the standard method of analysis. This accounts for the apparent discrepancy between the measurements reported by ITE and those from other agencies.