GREENPEACE COMMENTS REGARDING POLICE UNION PRESS RELEASE:

Germany, February 14th, 1997

During a Greenpeace press conference in October 1996, Professor Horst Kuni, radiologist at the University of Marburg, publicly presented his results on the hazards of neutron radiation. According to Kuni this hazard is underestimated by a factor of 60.

At that time, Greenpeace urgently demanded that Federal Environment Minister Merkel give these results serious regard and talk to experts. To date this has not happened and the risks of neutron radiation are still officially denied.

Greenpeace therefore took the initiative last year to inform the public. During a tour with a container exhibition and during many talks with the police union it was important to give information to policewomen and policemen that they were not receiving from official sources.

On 16 January, Greenpeace organised an experts' discussion roundtable that included two prominant critics of Kuni who are official radiation protection authorities (Professor Streffer of the State Radiation Protection Commission and Professor Dietze from the Physical-Technical Federal Office). The discussion proved alarming to the police unionists; they were no longer convinced of the harmlessness of Castor transports.

Dr. Helmut Hirsch, Greenpeace nuclear expert, said, "The police union agrees with our view that the danger of Castor radiation has been underestimated until now and demands, as we do, that this issue is looked into. The police union made the right decision in calling for a postponement of the transport."

It would be irresponsible for the Castor transports to go ahead as planned in March. The one-sidedness of official radiation protection authorities show that they simply want to ignore new critical research.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dr. Helmut Hirsch, Greenpeace nuclear expert ++49-40-30618352