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COMARE/RWMAC Report: Radioactive Contamination at a Property in Seascale, Cumbria

In October 1998, radioactively contaminated pigeons were reported at a private property in the village of Seascale, Cumbria, where pigeons had been fed for a number of years. Investigations showed that limited areas of the property, mainly the garden, were also significantly contaminated.

The Committee on the Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE) was requested by the Department of Health to investigate the public health implications. COMARE requested assistance from the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee (RWMAC) on the possible sources of radioactive contamination of the pigeons. This report contains the findings of the two committees and accompanies a report prepared jointly by the Local Authority, Government Departments and Agencies which provides more details of the contamination at Seascale and of the subsequent steps to decontaminate the property[1].

Possible sources of radioactive contamination of pigeons

The most likely explanation for the radioactive contamination at the property is that it had been brought by pigeons from the nuclear plant at Sellafield. Some older buildings on the Sellafield site are thought to be the most likely origin. A number of these buildings are no longer operational and are being decommissioned. It will, however, be well into the next century before they are all dismantled.

The contamination at the property at Seascale appears to have arisen from an unusual combination of circumstances: pigeons flocking in large numbers to a particular location carrying with them radioactive contamination. Apart from this property and a currently disused property, pigeons are not thought to congregate elsewhere in Seascale.

Health implications

The additional risk to the health of the occupants of the Seascale property, and of the neighbouring properties, from this radioactive contamination is not significant. In particular, this incident is not thought to be associated with the observed elevated incidence of leukaemia in young people in Seascale.

Conclusions

COMARE and RWMAC have stated that it is unacceptable that the Sellafield site has been managed in a way that pigeons became contaminated to the extent that property away from Sellafield also became significantly contaminated. Furthermore, the two committees have also stated that continued vigilance and preparedness is necessary in order to prevent similar incidents involving wildlife from occurring in the future, either at Sellafield or elsewhere.

Press Enquiries: Professor B A Bridges Tel: 01273-678123
RWMAC Tel: 0171-890-62260/6254

Copies of the COMARE/RWMAC Report can be obtained from NRPB Information Office, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon OX1 0RQ (cheque for £8.50, £7.50 plus £1.00 postage and packing, with cheque payable to NRPB)

Note for Editors

COMARE has published two previous reports in relation to a possible link between the incidence of childhood leukaemia at Seascale and the radiation exposure of the Seascale population. The latest of these reports published in 1996 affirmed that the current estimate of radiation doses to the Seascale population, due to both routine and accidental discharges, was far too small to account for the observed excess of cases of leukaemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma on the basis of present knowledge.

The RWMAC's terms of reference are to advise the Secretaries of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, and the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Wales on the technical and environmental implications of major issues concerning the development and implementation of an overall policy for all aspects of the management of civil radioactive waste, including research and development; and on any such matters referred to it by the Secretaries of State. The RWMAC publishes a number of individual reports each year, covering a range of radioactive waste management topics.

Both committees have previously published a report on "Potential Health Effects and Possible Sources of Radioactive Particles Found in the Vicinity of Dounreay Nuclear Establishment".

Reference

[1] Copeland Borough Council et al. The Radiological Implications of Contaminated Feral Pigeons found at Sellafield and Seascale. Available from the Environment Agency, Penrith Office, Penrith, Cumbria CA11 9BP or NRPB, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon OX11 0RQ.

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