Radioactive discharges in Devon set to increase!

Surfers Against Sewage are backing local Plymouth residents in their call for a Public Inquiry into the expansion of nuclear submarine facilities at Devonport Dockyard and the inevitable increase in radioactivity that will result.

American based company DML have applied to the Environment Agency to increase the amounts of radioactive waste they can discharge into the environment by a worryingly large amount. Tritium discharges into the River Tamar are set to increase by 700% as MOD submarines are brought into the dockyard for refitting. With a half-life of just over 12 years, discharged tritium is set to disperse within the river and along the coast.

DML believe that their proposals will not result in a health risk to local Plymouth residents or water users, yet scientists and campaigners are warning that tritium can cause genetic abnormalities and cancers. The matter is currently subject to public consultation, before the E.A. make a decision on whether or not they let the development go ahead as proposed.

Vicky Garner of SAS said today:
" This is a matter of grave concern for SAS as representatives of water users UK wide. Until it can be proven that the proposed increases in radioactive waste will not present a risk to health we will be pushing for the development to be scrapped. It is vital that a Public Inquiry is held so that a fair and balanced debate can develop. A public consultation exercise for a matter as serious and far-reaching as this is simply not good enough. SAS will now start lobbying Government to push for this to happen".

"It is ironic that we are being told that the proposed increases in tritium are perfectly safe yet at the same time we are being told that in 12 years time technology will have advanced to enable 80% of the tritium to be removed before discharge. If there is no health risk presented by tritium at the levels proposed, why is the nuclear industry spending time and money on researching the technology to remove it? It would appear that they are anticipating the time when the real risk from tritium can be accurately assessed!"

Anyone wanting to back SAS and local Plymouth campaigners CANSAR and LLRC (Low Level Radiation Campaign) can download letters from the SAS website and send them to the Sec of State for the Environment and the Sec of State for Health asking them to call a Public Inquiry.