THE NUCLEAR OPTION
It may have a lower profile today but it wasn't long ago that the nuclear industry was in the news practically every day. Furthermore, much of this publicity could be described as negative, with real concern expressed about the issue of nuclear waste in particular. This press campaign was commissioned to allay these worries, and features two contrasting but equally effective tones of voice.
ITEM: National Press Advertising
CLIENT: BNFL – British Nuclear Fuels plc
OVERVIEW: National press awareness campaign to reassure public about safety of measures used to deal with nuclear waste
‘ONE DAY WE’LL GET SOME STRAIGHT ANSWERS ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON AT SELLAFIELD’
These days, it seems British Nuclear Fuels’ Sellafield reprocessing plant is hardly ever out of the news.
People are expressing particular concern about the handling of radioactive waste, and are understandably alarmed at the environmental lobby’s allegations of excessive radiation levels in the surrounding areas.
It’s high time that the facts about Sellafield came to the surface, and some popular and important questions were answered.
‘All that radioactive waste. Where on earth are they going to put it?’
In truth, the actual volume of waste generated by the nuclear power industry is relatively small. 96% of spent fuel is recycled, and the remaining waste contributes about 1.1% of the total toxic waste produced by British industry.
Of this figure, just 0.1% can be termed highly active waste, or waste which will remain radioactive for thousands of years. In 30 years of nuclear power operation, the entire amount produced could fit into two semi-detached houses.
This will be converted into glass blocks for storage at Sellafield or transportation. A very expensive method yet one which experience in France has proved to be safe and reliable.
In a similar way, the 11% intermediate level waste, which is far less radioactive and will become relatively harmless in 200 to 300 years will be encapsulated in concrete for safe storage at Sellafield.
Concrete is a material which provides complete resistance to radiation and, as glass does for high level waste, enables intermediate waste to be stored and at a future date placed in a permanent repository underground or under the sea.
Low level waste, nearly 90% of the total waste produced, consists mainly of protective clothing and laboratory refuse, and emits comparatively little radiation – it can be handled quite safely just by wearing gloves.
This is now put in steel containers for disposal in concrete lined vaults at Drigg, Cumbria, again the most expensive yet safest method available.
A look at the rare species of wildlife which inhabit this site is proof of that.
‘Yes, but any radiation must be dangerous. It’s just not natural, is it?’
On the contrary. Some four fifths of the radiation we receive is from natural sources such as rock and soil and naturally occurring gases. Man-made contributors include hospital X-rays (11.5%) and air travel (0.5%).
The total of radiation in the atmosphere attributable to waste discharges from the nuclear industry is 0.1% - one thousandth.
In fact, you would get more radiation from a 3 hour flight on Concorde than the nuclear industry can give you in a year.
‘What about Sellafield and cancer?
There must be some truth in the rumours you hear.’
This issue has probably caused more apprehension than anything else.
The total emissions from Sellafield, both into the atmosphere and the Irish Sea, amount to roughly 200 Curies a year. The safety level set by one of the nuclear industry’s many watchdogs, the international Commission on Radiological Protection, is 6,000 Curies.
Even at the maximum level, it’s been estimated that you would have less risk of contracting a terminal cancer than you have from smoking a single cigarette a year.
Radiation levels in the area surrounding the Sellafield plant, and people most exposed to radioactivity at Sellafield, are constantly monitored. There has never been any evidence of a link between the plant and cancer in over 30 years of operation.
‘Looks to me like they want to turn Britain into a nuclear dustbin.’
Not true. No nuclear waste is imported into Britain, nor will it be.
Spent fuel is taken to Sellafield for reprocessing, where 96% is converted into useable fuel again. Of the waste that is produced, all contracts with overseas organisations have an option for its return to the country of origin. £209 million has been invested in a plant which converts high level waste into a form so that it can be easily transported overseas.
Just part of a total £3.8 billion investment in spent fuel management technology which shows a commitment to the environment rarely found in industry.
‘If BNFL had nothing to hide, they wouldn’t be so secretive.’
Quite simply, they aren’t. The lengths BNFL go to to let the public know about their operations are probably unique in industry.
Details of all accidents, no matter how minor, are published. The Government has recommended that information should be disclosed to any person requesting it, as long as national security is not affected.
The Sellafield Visitors Centre is the fastest growing tourist attraction in the country, while the public can go on guided tours of every BNFL site in the North West. There is also a talks service available to community groups, schools and organisations.
For more straight answers about what’s going on at Sellafield, and throughout BNFL, contact us on Seascale (0940) 28333 or come to the Sellafield Visitors Centre and see for yourself.
ITEM: National Press Advertising
CLIENT: BNFL – British Nuclear Fuels plc
OVERVIEW: Awareness campaign to reassure public about safety of measures used to deal with nuclear waste
NUCLEAR WASTE. WHAT’S TO BE DONE ABOUT IT?
Amid the growing concern people are feeling for the environment, the issue of nuclear waste is one of the most emotive of all.
Indeed, in a recent Gallup Poll three fifths of people questioned considered it to be the most environmental problem which worried them most.
For the benefit of everyone, it is time that some important facts were examined.
The scale of the issue
Much industrial waste poses a potential danger to man and the environment. What distinguishes radioactive waste is the extent to which people perceive it as dangerous.
However, its volume is relatively small. Of all toxic waste produced by British industry every year, about on hundredth is radioactive.
And the quantity of highly radioactive waste is much less than that. The entire amount from all Britain’s power stations in over 30 years of operation would barely fill two average semi-detached houses.
Only about 3% of the spent fuel from nuclear power is waste. Around 96% is recovered uranium which can be recycled as new fuel.
How will it be stored?
In spite of the comparatively small amounts involved, clearly some waste which occurs as a result f nuclear fuel reprocessing is very dangerous – and will remain so for centuries to come.
Obviously, it is vital that it is managed so that no harm can come to the human and animal populations.
High level waste, which forms a fraction of 1% of the total volume of nuclear waste, is currently stores at British Nuclear Fuels’ Sellafield site. In liquid form, it is kept in stainless steel tanks surrounded concrete and cooled by water.
Next year, a new £209 million ‘Vitrification’ plant will be opened. This will convert all high level waste into solid glass blocks and seal it in stainless steel containers for safe management and storage.
Because it is highly impervious to water, this form means that overseas waste can be safely transported back to its country of origin. High level waste of British origin can be disposed of in a long term repository after a 50 year ‘cooling off’ period which allows much of the radioactivity to decay.
Intermediate level waste is also produced by reprocessing – swarfs, sludges and slurries, which comprise about one tenth of the total. This is currently mainly stored in concrete silos at Sellafield.
As part of a £3.8 billion investment in spent fuel management facilities, the capability to handle and store this material is also being considerably upgraded.
Intermediate level waste is distinguished from high level in that it is far less radioactive and generates much less heat.
From next year it will be encapsulated in concrete in stainless steel drums which are then stored in concrete – a material which is remarkable for its resistance to radioactivity.
Low level waste, by far the largest quantity of al radioactive waste at almost nine tenths, consists mainly of clothing and laboratory equipment. Rated as only slightly radioactive, it can be handles safely by wearing gloves.
This low level waste is put in steel containers and place din concrete vaults at Drigg, near Sellafield, following improvements in facilities costing some £20 million.
It has been calculated that a worker on the surface of this site receives little more radiation than someone walking down a typical High Street.
Discharges to the Irish Sea
There has been much concern about the discharge of low level liquid radioactive waste from Sellafield into the Irish Sea.
In fact, this is mainly water from the storage ponds used to cool the spent fuel containers. A £120 million effluent treatment plant was opened in 1983 to filter most of the radioactivity out before discharging it to the sea.
Further reductions will be technically more difficult to achieve and that is why over the next decade a further investment of £500 million has been committed to get the level down to almost zero.
The long term solution
As you have probably heard in the news, as a long term solution low and intermediate level waste will be stored in a deep underground repository. Geological studies are being carried out at Sellafield and Doorway in Scotland to establish whether either site is suitable.
Whatever the final choice, the geology chosen must be suitable for preventing the escape of radioactivity, while as a further barrier the waste will be placed in steel and concrete. Throughout, it will be managed in such a way that it can be regularly monitored, and even retrieved at a future stage should this be considered desirable.
How does nuclear waste compare to other sources of radiation?
Its useful to realise that more than four fifths of the total radiation people in the UK receive is from natural sources such as rocks, soil and naturally occurring gases. Most of the rest comes from medical sources such as X-rays.
The amount attributable to the nuclear power industry is less than one part in a thousand.
Considerably less than from our own bodies and the food we eat. Less even than from air travel.
All facts which may surprise you, but may also shed light on the nuclear waste issue.
As far as the company is concerned, in nuclear waste management the safety of the public is paramount. All Government regulations are strictly complied with and enforced by the most stringent set of watchdog bodies.
If you would like a free video on what’s to be done about nuclear waste, please contact:
British Nuclear Fuels plc Information Services, Risley, Warrington, Cheshire WA3 6AS.