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Particles Section At UKAEA Web Site
Sandside Beach finds - to 17 March 2005
Foreshore finds to 28 February 2005
Offshore finds to 28 February 2005
28 December 04
MONITORING OF SANDSIDE BEACH
UKAEA has instructed its contractor, RWE Nukem, to resume monitoring
of Sandside Beach for radioactive particles.
It follows notification from the land-owner
that agreement to access the beach, which was terminated by the land-owner
with effect from April 30, 2004, has been reinstated.
Vehicular monitoring resumed from Thursday,
23 December 2004 in accordance with criteria laid down by the
Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
UKAEA welcomes the reinstatement of access. A
major consultation exercise on the options for dealing with all
radioactive particles in the marine environment, including those found at
Sandside Beach, is planned by UKAEA during 2005. Regular monitoring of
local beaches, including Sandside, is important to the continuing
development of these options, as well as providing ongoing reassurance
about the risks to members of the public who use the beaches.
From 23 December 2004, UKAEA will be using
its website as the primary means of public communication for the detection
and retrieval of particles in the environment around Dounreay, including
any at Sandside.
Detailed information about all new and
historical particle finds will be published at
http://www.ukaea.org.uk/dounreay/particles.htm
See
Dounreay site For Latest Particle Finds
22 January 04
Particle Find 47
The particle was removed from the beach and taken to the site for
analysis.
21 November 03
Particle Find 46
The particle was removed from the beach and taken to the site for
analysis.
14 November 03
PARTICLE FIND 44 Found 45 found later same day
Same details as in earlier finds
9 July 03
PARTICLE 41 FOUND
Same details as earlier finds.
12 May 03
PARTICLE FIND 40 - SECOND TODAY
Another suspected radioactive particle resulting from historical
operations at Dounreay was found during routine monitoring of Sandside
Beach today. The particle was removed from the beach and taken to
the site for analysis. Regulatory and other interested parties
have been informed. A total of 40 particles have been found on the
beach since 1984. The particles are specks of irradiated fuel, similar in
size to a grain of sand.
12 May 03
PARTICLE FIND 39
A suspected radioactive particle resulting from historical
operations at Dounreay was found during routine monitoring of Sandside
Beach today. The particle was removed from the beach and taken to
the site for analysis. Regulatory and other interested parties
have been informed. A total of 39 particles have been found on the
beach since 1984. The particles are specks of irradiated fuel, similar in
size to a grain of sand.
14 March 03
DIVERS TO RETURN TO SEABED
Divers are to return to the seabed
off Dounreay on 21 April 2003 in the latest phase of the offshore
particles programme. They will aim to complete the capping of three
redundant discharge risers on the seabed that are obscured by sediment and
concrete, and repeat surveys of specific areas of seabed to provide more
information about the behaviour and movement of particles. The results
will inform the study of options for managing the particles legacy in the
longer term, which will be the subject of public participation. The work
is expected to take 30 days to complete and will be undertaken by Fathoms
Ltd.
11 April
03
PARTICLE FINDS 37 and 38 at
Sandside
Regulatory and other interested parties have been informed. A total of
38
10
April 03
PARTICLE 36 FIND ON SANDSIDE BEACH
Another suspected radioactive particle resulting from historical
operations at Dounreay was found during routine monitoring of Sandside
Beach today. It was the second to be found today.
10 April
03
STATEMENT from the
SCOTTISH ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AGENCY
PARTICLES HEALTH EFFECTS RESEARCH
SEPA has published the most recent report from its research project into
the health effects of particles from Dounreay. The report is a
review of the procedures used for monitoring Sandside beach. It also
calculates the minimum detectable particle activity and compares it with
statutory requirements, and reviews two documents which comment on the
procedures used at Sandside. The review considered the effectiveness
of the Groundhog Mark 1 equipment. This has now been replaced by better
monitoring equipment, but the research findings will still help SEPA
determine ongoing and practicable improvements to the monitoring
programme, which is continually under review. This work has been
carried out for SEPA by the National Radiological Protection Board as part
of a long-term project that should be completed next year. The report is
available from the publications section of
www.sepa.org.uk
SEPA believes that the requirements on UKAEA are sufficient to detect and
remove particles at local public beaches that may pose a significant
threat to public health.
10 April
03
PARTICLE 35 FIND ON SANDSIDE BEACH
A suspected radioactive particle resulting
from historical operations at Dounreay was found during routine monitoring
of Sandside Beach today.
8
April 03
PARTICLE 34 FIND ON SANDSIDE BEACH
A suspected radioactive particle resulting from historical operations
at Dounreay was found during routine monitoring of Sandside Beach today.
The particle was removed from the beach and taken to the site for
analysis. Regulatory and other interested parties have been
informed. A total of 34 particles have been found on the beach since
1984
2
April 03
PARTICLE 33 FOUND ON SANDSIDE BEACH
A suspected radioactive particle resulting from historical operations
at Dounreay was found during routine monitoring of Sandside Beach today.
31
March 03
30th Particle Find
A suspected radioactive particle resulting from historical operations
at Dounreay was found during routine monitoring of Sandside Beach on
Friday 28 March 03. The particle was removed from the beach
and taken to the site for analysis. Regulatory and other
interested parties have been informed. A total of 31 particles have
been found on the beach since 1984.
20 March
03
29th PARTICLE FIND ON SANDSIDE
BEACH
A suspected radioactive particle resulting from historical operations
at Dounreay was found during routine monitoring of Sandside Beach today.
The particle was removed from the beach and taken to the site for
analysis. Regulatory and other interested parties have
been informed. A total now of 29 particles have been found on the beach
since 1984.
19 March
03
REPORT PROVIDES REASSURANCE ON "NEGLIGIBLE" RISK FROM PARTICLES
An independent report published today concludes that the risk of a
person coming into contact with a particle at Sandside "is so minute that
it could reasonably be considered negligible".
The 2nd Interim Report of the Dounreay Particles Advisory Group - an
expert group set up to advise the Scottish Environment Protection
Agency - also states that any particle which could pose a significant
risk to the health of people who use Sandside Beach would "almost
certainly be detected" under
the current monitoring arrangements. All of the particles found at
Sandside during 19 years of monitoring have been below this level of
activity.
UKAEA's Head of Safety and Environment at Dounreay, Dr Guy Owen, said:
"The DPAG report concludes that the new monitoring equipment put into
service during 2002 should readily detect particles which might pose
a risk to health. "The recent increase in the rate of detection of
very weak particles (up to 100 times less radioactive than the level
quoted as a health risk in the DPAG report) also provides reassurance
about the increased sensitivity of the new monitoring system now in
place at Sandside. We are using the best equipment offered to us during
a recent European-wide tendering exercise. However, we know that
techniques can always be improved, and we have now commissioned work to
see if equipment can be developed to an even more sensitive level,
and still be robust for use on beaches exposed to the North Atlantic.
We also support DPAG's advice for independent trials to be carried out
of the new system to confirm its performance, and are already discussing
the details of this with SEPA and our contractor RWE."
Dr Owen added: "Over the last five years, we have invested some £7
million of taxpayers' money to improve our understanding of particles in
the marine environment. We are continuing to improve our understanding
in areas such as the movement of particles to deeper water, where they
will pose little risk. Our findings will be made available to DPAG.
"We recognise the important role DPAG has to play in helping us to
identify the Best Practicable Environmental Option for managing this
legacy in the longer term. We will consider carefully all the
recommendations in this report."
18 March 03
PARTICLE FIND ON SANDSIDE BEACH
A suspected radioactive particle resulting from historical
operations at Dounreay was found during routine monitoring of Sandside
Beach today.
The
particle was removed from the beach and taken to the site for analysis.
Regulatory and other interested parties have been informed. A total now
of 28 particles have been found on the beach since 1984. The particles
are small specks of irradiated fuel, similar in size to a grain of sand.
UKAEA is required by the
Scottish Environment Protection Agency to monitor the beach every
month. However, no monitoring was carried out by UKAEA during July,
August, September and October 2002, and January and most of
February 2003, because access to the beach was denied by the
land-owner.
Monitoring, using a
new and improved system of detection, resumed on 24 February 2003,
since when a total of six particles have now been detected and
retrieved. Additional monitoring is being carried out during March
2003.
UKAEA carries out a
comprehensive and systematic programme of beaches monitoring on the
instruction of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Five beaches
used by the public are monitored regularly. No particles have been found
on any of these beaches except Sandside.
Particles found in the
past at Sandside typically have been 100 times less radioactive than the
larger particles found on the enclosed foreshore at Dounreay, which is not
open to the public. Most particles found in the past at Sandside have been
beneath the level of detection for radioactivity specified by SEPA.
None has exceeded the level of radioactivity at which the National
Radiological Protection Board advises that ingestion would have "no
directly observable effects" on a person's health.
Independent experts have
advised that the risk of encountering a particle at Sandside is very low.
It is estimated there are in excess of a thousand million million grains
of sand in the beach. The particles are similar in size to a single grain
of sand.
Sandside Beach is normally
monitored on about 12 days each month using a combination of
vehicle-mounted and hand-held detection systems operated under contract by
RWE. In addition, the strandline (the mark of the most recent high tide)
is also monitored regularly. This is in accordance with criteria laid down
by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Additional monitoring is
being carried out during March on the instruction of SEPA.
UKAEA is working closely
with a number of organisations to identify the best practicable
environmental option for addressing particles in the marine environment.
UKAEA intends to begin public consultation on the options during 2003.
More information about particles can be found on the UKAEA website at
http://www.ukaea.org.uk
Earlier Particle Finds
13 March 03
Particle 27 At Sandside Beach
A suspected radioactive particle
resulting from historical operations at Dounreay was found during routine
monitoring of Sandside Beach today. The particle was removed from
the beach and taken to the site for analysis. Regulatory and other
interested parties have been informed. A total now of 27 particles have
been found on the beach since 1984. The particles are small specks of
irradiated fuel, similar in size to a grain of sand.
4 March 03
PARTICLE 26 FIND ON SANDSIDE BEACH
A suspected radioactive particle resulting from historical operations
at Dounreay was found during routine monitoring of Sandside Beach on 3
March 2003
27 February 03
25th Particle Found On Sandside Beach
Second Today
A suspected radioactive particle resulting from historical operations at
Dounreay was found during routine monitoring of Sandside Beach today. It
was the second particle to be found at Sandside today.
27 February 03
24th Particle Found On Sandside
Beach
The particle was
removed from the beach and taken to the site for analysis. Regulatory and
other interested parties have been informed.
26 February 03
23rd PARTICLE FIND ON SANDSIDE BEACH
A suspected radioactive particle resulting from historical operations at
Dounreay was found during routine monitoring of Sandside Beach today.
The particle was removed from the beach and taken to the site for
analysis. Regulatory and other interested parties have been
informed. A total now of 23 particles have been found on the beach
since 1984. The particles are small specks of irradiated fuel, similar in
size to a grain of sand.
Sandside Beach is surveyed every
month for the presence of metallic particles. This normally takes
about 12 days to complete. In addition, the strandline (the mark of
the most recent high tide) is also monitored regularly. This is in
accordance with criteria laid down by the Scottish Environment Protection
Agency.
A number of other beaches used by the public between Thurso and
Sandside are monitored up to three times a year. No particles have been
found except at Sandside.
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