WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1665/98 by Patricia McKENNA to the Council. Dumping of nuclear waste
Date: 1998-06-02
Institutions: European Parliament, MCKENNA
Subjects: health legislation, health risk, ionising radiation, occupational health, public health, radiation protection, radioactive materials, radioactive waste

18.1.1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 13/61

(1999/C 13/087)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1665/98

by Patricia McKenna (V) to the Council

(2 June 1998)

Subject: Dumping of nuclear waste

The current presidency of the European Council cites one of its aims as (cid:145)more effective action on environmental
protection, in Europe and world-wide(cid:146).

Does the Council feel that the dumping of two tanks of radioactive waste from the Atomic Weapons
Establishment in Aldermaston into the River Thames would be in keeping with this aim? Furthermore, does
the Council agree that the previous method of disposing of the radioactive tritium by pumping it into the air is
equally irresponsible and dangerous? Bearing in mind that bathing and fishing near a nuclear waste reprocessing
plant in Normandy had to be banned due to high levels of tritium (15,5 million times higher than normal) earlier
this year, does the Council accept that the dangers of tritium are being underestimated?

The radioactive waste in question, amounting to 100 cubic metres, is said to contain liquid tritium waste, which is
known to produce changes in human DNA. As there are already leukemia clusters in nearby Newbury, does the
Council believe that this is responsible behaviour?

Reply

(24 September 1998)

Like the previous Directive of 1980 (80/836/Euratom) (1), Council Directive 96/29/Euratom laying down basic
safety standards for the protection of the health of workers and the general public against the dangers arising from
ionising radiation (2) covers the case of tritium.

This Directive, which was adopted on 13 May 1996, increased the level of health protection against ionising
radiation in the European Union. It was drawn up on the basis of the most recent scientific and technical data.

The Council therefore considers that appropriate implementation of these Directives by the Member States
should meet the concerns of the Honourable Member.

(1) OJ L 246, 17.9.1980, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 159, 29.6.1996, p. 1.

(1999/C 13/088)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1668/98

by Ben Fayot (PSE) to the Commission

(29 May 1998)

Subject: Safe transport of consignments of nuclear fuel

In France, recent checks have shown that, in 1997, over a third of all consignments of spent nuclear fuel
transported from EDF power stations to the recycling plant in The Hague were contaminated by radioactivity.
Those in charge of Cogema and EDF operations acknowledge that abnormal levels of radioactivity have been
detected since the beginning of the 1990s.

These shipments do not affect only France, but also neighbouring countries. Every year 2 500 tonnes of nuclear
fuel for recycling is transported from Germany through densely populated regions along the frontiers of Belgium
and Luxembourg.

After the derailment at Apach (France) on 4 February 1997 of a train transporting nuclear waste from Lintgen
(Germany) via Apach to Sellafield (UK), I questioned the Commission concerning the safety of transport
arrangements for radioactive material.