Radioactive Pigeon Exclusion Zone Leads to Call For Government A

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RADIOACTIVE PIGEON EXCLUSION ZONE LEADS TO CALL FOR GOVERNMENT
ACTION

London, UK, 17th  February 1998 --- Following the announcement
of a ten mile exclusion zone for handling radioactive pigeons in
the Sellafield area, Greenpeace has called on the Government to
turn down British Nuclear Fuel's (BNFL) application to increase
discharges of radioactivity into the environment.

"The serious levels of contamination found in these birds points
to the far greater problem of nuclear pollution of the
environment not just around Sellafield but throughout Europe.
These birds have been contaminated in a facility reprocessing
waste from Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain and
Japan, as well as the UK . Waste entering the environment from
reprocessing must be stopped," said Shaun Burnie of Greenpeace.

During a press briefing (1) to Cumbrian media on Saturday 14th
February, the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food (MAFF)
warned local residents not to handle, slaughter or consume
pigeons within a 10 mile (16km) radius of the Sellafield site.

BNFL's provisional analysis of culled pigeons indicates that a
person who consumed the breast meat from as few as 6 birds would
intake the equivalent to an individual's radiation dose limit
for one year.

"These shocking levels show the extent of radioactive pollution
around Sellafield. It is unbelievable that an application from
BNFL to increase its discharges of radioactive gases might still
be granted", said Roche.

The Environment Agency is currently carrying out an 8 week
public consultation exercise (due to end on 16th March) into an
application by BNFL for new authorisations to discharge
radioactive waste from Sellafield (2).

If these authorisations are granted it would mean that a)
Sellafield will continue pouring liquid waste into the sea (3);
b) Discharges of radioactive gases from some of Sellafield's
chimneys will increase (4); c) Controls on discharges to both
sea and air from the THORP plant will be relaxed.

The Environment Minister, Michael Meacher, has said he wants to
see sharp cuts in discharges of nuclear waste from Sellafield.

"The Minister is right to demand a continuous reduction in
discharges. But he will not achieve that if the Environment
Agency allows these authorisations to go through. He must call
in these applications, and force BNFL to start reducing
discharges immediately", said Pete Roche. 

ends 


NOTES:

(1) The MAFF Press Release issued on 14th February 1998 was
entitled "Radioactive contamination in feral pigeons around
Sellafield" (Contact MAFF Press Office 0171 238 5608)

(2) A Greenpeace Briefing on the Public Consultation is
available on request.

(3) Last year, lobsters caught near Sellafield had levels of
radioactive technetium (Tc-99) up to 28 times higher than EU
limits for consumption after a nuclear accident. The Environment
Agency has proposed allowing BNFL to continue dumping all its
liquid waste containing radioactive technetium in the sea.

(4) The Environment Agency plans to allow BNFL to increase
discharges of Iodine-129, Carbon-14 and Ruthenium-106.

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