Mysterious radioactive contamination from farm near Sellafield

The Celtic League have asked the United Kingdom Environment Minister,
Hilary Benn, if his Department has been able to ascertain the cause
of a mysterious rise in levels of iodine-129 in milk from a farm near
Sellafield.

Iodine-129 is one of a number of harmful contaminants released into
the marine environment from the plant but it is generally assumed
that the quantities of the product released would dissipate harmlessly.

The UK Environment Agency says that there is "no obvious explanation"
for the increase.

Suggestions that it may be caused by 'historic' residue from events
such as the Windscale fire have also been down-played by Sellafield
management.

Many gallons of milk on local farms had to be poured away after the
1957 Fire but Sellafield say that only small amounts of iodine-129
were released then, the majority of radioactive iodine pollution from
the plutonium Windscale pile reactor was iodine-131.

(DEFRA letter below):

"Dear Minister,

I understand that in April the Environment Agency confirmed that
"concentrations of iodine-129 in samples of milk from a local farm (near
Sellafield) have significantly increased in recent months". They also said that
there was "no obvious explanation for the increase" which was apparently
confined to one farm.

Can we ask if DEFRA or the EA have been able to ascertain the cause
of the increase and if not what steps are being taken to provide
an explanation?

Yours faithfully,


J B Moffatt"


Related article on Celtic News at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_league/message/2549
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_league/message/2543
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_league/message/2531
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_league/message/2523
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_league/message/2443
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_league/message/2375
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_league/message/2357
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_league/message/2300
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_league/message/2253

J B Moffatt
Director of Information
Celtic League

26/05/08


The Celtic League has branches in the six Celtic Countries. It works
to promote cooperation between these countries and campaigns on a
broad range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It highlights
human rights abuse, monitors all military activity and focuses on
socio-economic issues.

TEL (UK)01624 877918 MOBILE (UK)07624 491609

Internet site at:

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