*** S E L L A F I E L D I S S A F E ***

national | miscellaneous | news report Tuesday March 05, 2002 11:57 by Sellafield Employee

There is nothing wrong with the nuclear industry !

What is wrong with you people?

SNIP
Ronald Hanas was dismissed from Sellafield for Gross Misconduct. He WAS NOT in charge of radioactive materials; basically his job was that of a 'pen pusher'. Mr Hanas has taken BNFL to tribunal for his dismissal - like all activists; he has twisted the truth for his own means. For his own means... and to save his job.

The failure of registering of radioactive material as you put it was a very minor offence. The 'radioactive material' involved were 'sources' (radioactive isotopes embedded in thick plastic). These 'sources' are used for the calibration of probes, which are used to detect radiation/contamination. If you sat on one of these sources with a bare arse for 1 week you would be lucky to get a minor dose of radiation - likened to an X-Ray.

The storage of radioactive material in a nearby town is WRONG again. It is used at the West-Lakes scientific park for research purposes.

The loan of radioactive material to an unauthorised recipient is WRONG - All personnel at Sellafield are registered persons under the Ionising Radiation Regulations, and as such can use these materials in the process of their job.

Seals on radioactive materials would never be tampered with. Even if they had been tampered with, they would have to be monitored for radioactivity, then paperwork issued for that item - depending on where it was going. Without the paperwork in place absolutely NO material can be moved.

The WATER leaking to ground has been doing so for many years and is a WELL KNOWN fact. There are several safeguards in place to combat this WATER leaking to ground, such as collection points where the WATER is pumped to a holding tank. These collection points are monitored DAILY. The WATER leak is from old-plant which is a legacy from the cold-war era.

The 'forging' of safety checks was a 'minor' offence which BNFL has paid badly for - by losing several £100 million. Before the MOX pellets had even reached the operators several automated checks had been carried out. The Japanese even acknowledge that the pellets are SAFE.

The Mark Thomas Production is a satirical programme designed to 'get a laugh' and is not even worth talking about.

MOX does reprocess foreign fuel - NOT waste. BNFL also RETURN WASTE to the originator through substitution. For example, if there were one tonne of low-level waste produced, BNFL would send back 1/10 of that amount in High-Level waste. Thus reducing the 'risks'.

Sellafield is safe. There is NO threat to lives or the environment in Cumbria - the UK - Ireland - or anywhere due to the stringent safety checks carried out.

If the nuclear option wasn't used and other types of electricity production were utilised, carbon based resources would eventually run out. Wave and Wind power is NOT a practical option at the moment due to cost and the number of facilities that would have to be built. BNFL are the world leaders in safe nuclear production, but they also have other facilities that activists never mention, such as the hydroelectric plant in Wales. They also invest in 'renewable' energy such as wave and wind.

As I said previous, environmental groups ARE selective of their information and are experts in misinformation. Until these groups get realistic with their aims the majority of people throughout the world will treat them as a joke.

SNIP
I am an employee of BNFL - but if I were concerned of these types of facilities I wouldn't work there.
You say you have been protesting this-or-that over the past three decades - can't make your mind up eh? GET A LIFE.

SNIP
Thousands of windmills - the previous poster would probably campaign about these too!


SNIP
Nuclear fuel reprocessing has NOT been proven to cause cancer.
If coal and gas fired plants did not cause 'global warming' problems I would not be bothered about their contribution to electricity production. But since they were over subsidised by the British Government in the past this wouldn't be fair competition would it? Solar and Wind production are and will be profit making businesses. Why they hell would companies invest millions if they were not going to get a return? Jesus.. Some people are thick.

SNIP
SELECTIVE information AGAIN.
In 1958 the world was a completely different place where the so-called super powers were edging for supremacy. Governments have always carried out covert experiments on the public. I can guarantee that this type of this thing does not happen at any BNFL plants and will not happen in the future. The world is a different and safer place than it was back then.

The 1957 fire was again a result of the race for nuclear supremacy. The plant was simply badly designed and constructed in a hurry due to the reluctance of the USA to share information.

During this era the whole company was owned and run by the MOD. Things ARE different now.

The clusters of cancer that you mention appear all over the country - the majority in areas where there are no nuclear plants. Passionate talking such as, "you have thousands of deaths on your hands" is very wrong and CANNOT be proven. Many scientific studies have been carried out into this phenomenon with hugely varying results.

The High Level Waste tanks at Sellafield are continuously monitored, and yes coolant (water) supplies have been lost in the past, but have been re-instated almost immediately. For the tanks to 'boil' as you put it would take well over 72 hours. There are a number of safeguards in place and several options in place to substitute the current coolant if this was necessary. By the way - these tanks do not store liquid indefinitely. The storage is to allow the initial radioactivity to decay, and then the liquid is treated to allow long-term storage.

Vitrification (creating a stable storage device in glass) has had it's problems. BNFL bought the technology from the French, but they didn't notify BNFL of the problems that they too had encountered. Vitrification is now working well following enhancements to the technology.

The industry is going from strength to strength. People are buying into it. The USA has just announced that they intend to build new reactors. The Japanese too are investing in new units, such as a reprocessing facility. Here in the UK following an energy review BNFL and British Energy have announced that they would like to build new units. Your argument on subsidies does not stand up - especially when you look forward to private public partnership. For many years BNFL have contributed immensely to the UK economy in dividends to the government. These dividends have been put into health care, education etc..

The nuclear industry is NOT in its death throes - it is in ADVANCEMENT.

SNIP
Yes, I am paid - do you think I would work for nothing?
Costs were raised by fundraising... hmmm... I thought that you did it for nothing. I wonder why people didn't fill your buckets with money? Probably because they are as sick of you fools like the rest of us are.

Ps. SELLAFIELD IS SAFE !