§ Mr. CarmichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if radioactive waste material is used to produce(a) consumer goods and (b) other products within the UK; and which manufacturing sectors use radioactive waste in the production of their products. [51979]
§ Mr. MeacherRadioactively contaminated metal, such as that recovered from decommissioned nuclear plant, is sometimes sold on to the scrap metal market after it has been treated to reduce its radioactivity content. In order to allow the metal to be sold, its radioactivity level must be below the 0.4 Becquerel/gram regulatory exemption774W level set out in Schedule 1 of the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 and the Substances of Low Activity (SOLA) Exemption Order. The material is then no longer considered to be radioactive. Once it has been sold on to the scrap metal market, it is not possible to identify the products or manufacturing sectors in which it is used.