§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the quantified radioactive discharges, by terabecquerels, from Sellafield to(a) air and (b) water in each year from 1980 to date; and what the projected discharges are in each year to 2020. [117422]
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 9 June 2003]: Liquid and aerial discharge data for the years 1980 to 2002 inclusive, is provided in the following tables. For liquid discharges, the total alpha plus total beta (excluding 454W tritium) measurements in table 1 provide a simple indication of past and future discharges that is representative of the overall discharge. Tritium in liquid discharges, which has very low radiological toxicity, despite being high in quantitive terms, is shown separately in table 2.
For aerial discharges in table 3, the total alpha plus total beta measurements relate to particulate activity discharged to the atmosphere from the Sellafield site. In addition to the particulate activity there are low active radioactive gases and vapours discharged from the site which require specific sampling equipment dependent upon the gas to be measured. These measurements are separate from and in addition to the total alpha and total beta measurements and are provided in table 4 to give a more complete picture of past aerial discharges. Included in the gaseous measurements are the noble gases such as Krypton 85 and Argon 41 which are inert and consequently do not react with the environment through the normal pathways of rainwater or ground deposition. Their impact on man is through external exposure and as such their impact in terms of dose is relatively low, although in quantitive terms the discharges appear to be large.
The projected results of liquid discharges in tables 5 and 6 are reproduced from the UK's Strategy for Radioactive Discharges, 2001–20, published in July 2002 and are shown as averaged 5-year predictions. Aerial projections are not currently available. These will be developed in the context of the first revision of the UK's Radioactive Discharges Strategy which is due to be published in 2005.
455W
Table 1: Sellafield liquid alpha plus beta radioactive discharges, excluding Tritium 1980–2002 (TBq) 1980 4,345 1981 3,861 1982 3,556 1983 2,504 1984 1,204 1985 593 19861 123 1987 91 1988 83 1989 104 1990 73 1991 64 1992 59 1993 100 1994 127 1995 188 1996 143 1997 138 19982 86 1999 110 20002 77 2001 123 2002 113 1 Discharge authorisation revised in 1986
2 Reduced discharges in 1998 and 2000 were due to their being no treatment of Salt Evaporator Concentrate (SEC) arising from Magnox re-processing.
Table 2: Sellafield liquid tritium radioactive discharges 1980–2002 (TBq) 1980 1,300 1981 2,000 1982 1,800 1983 1,800 1984 1,600 1985 1,100 19861 2,200 1987 1,400 1988 1,700 1989 2,100 1990 1,700 1991 1,800 1992 1,200 1993 2,300 1994 1,700 1995 2,660 1996 3,000 1997 2,600 1998 2,300 1999 2,500 2000 2,260 2001 2,560 2002 3,320 1 Discharge authorisation revised in 1986
Table 3: Sellafield aerial alpha plus beta radioactive discharges excluding vapours and gases 1980–2002 (TBq) 1980 0.50 1981 0.25 1982 0.102 1983 0.08 1984 0.06 1985 0.05 1986 0.03 1987 0.02 1988 0.01 1989 0.01 1990 0.01 1991 0.01 1992 0.01 1993 0.01 1994 0.005 1995 0.004 1996 0.003 1997 0.002 1998 0.002 1999 0.002 2000 0.001 2001 0.001 2002 0.0001 456W
Table 4: Sellafield vapours and gases 1 discharged 1980–2002 (TBq) 1980 32,354 1981 53,770 1982 45,685 1983 43,411 1984 38,808 1985 26,875 1986 56,066 1987 36,501 1988 42,332 1989 54,914 1990 40,700 1991 47,727 1992 30,290
Table 4: Sellafield vapours and gases 1 discharged 1980–2002 (TBq) 1993 60,570 1994 41,556 1995 100,289 1996 97,130 1997 97,764 1998 101,758 1999 102,857 2000 76,720 2001 105,140 2002 101,579 1 Tritium, Carbon-14, Sulphur 35, Iodine 129 and 131, Argon 41, Krypton 85.
Table 5: Projected alpha/beta radioactive liquid discharges from Sellafield excluding tritium 2003–2020 (TBq) 2003 165 2004 165 2005 165 2006 104 2007 104 2008 104 2009 104 2010 104 2011 75 2012 75 2013 75 2014 75 2015 75 2016 54 2017 54 2018 54 2019 54 2020 54
Table 6: Projected liquid tritium radioactive discharges 2003–2020 (TBq) 2003 9,280 2004 9,280 2005 9,280 2006 8,930 2007 8,930 2008 8,930 2009 8,930 2010 8,930 2011 9,110 2012 9,110 2013 9,110 2014 9,110 2015 9,110 2016 9,520 2017 9,520 2018 9,520 2019 9,520 2020 9,520 Note:
The projections in tables 5 and 6 are annualised average figures for the five-year periods 2001–05, 2006–10, 2011–15 and 2016–20. They do not represent targets or limits for sp.