[ RadSafe ] A British nuclear submarine leaked hundreds of litres of radioactive waste into a river, it has emerged.

[Dawson, Fred Mr]

Radioactive water leaks from nuclear submarine HMS Trafalgar 


Telegraph reports 


A British nuclear submarine leaked hundreds of litres of radioactive
waste into a river, it has emerged. 


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/3439005/Radioactive-water-l
eaks-from-nuclear-submarine-HMS-Trafalgar.html

Environment watchdogs are investigating the leak at Devonport, in
Plymouth, from HMS Trafalgar in which 280 litres of contaminated water
were spilled. 

The Environment Agency threatened to prosecute the Ministry of Defence
or Devonport Management Limited after a series of spills in 2005. 

The water, which amounts to more than quarter of a ton, was being
removed from the submarine's cooling system and pumped into an effluent
tank on shore. 

It contained low levels of the radioactive element tritium which were
picked up as the water was used to cool the reactor on board the
submarine. 

The water drained into the River Tamar at Devonport because a hose
leaked as the contaminated water was being transferred. 

The water was due to be removed and either decontaminated or disposed of
as low level nuclear waste. 

The spill is the largest in 23 years but tests in the river have showed
no signs of increased radiation and the Environment Agency says there is
no risk to the public. 

A nuclear expert criticised the Ministry of Defence for withholding
details of the spill for four days after the accident early on Friday
morning. 

Nuclear consultant John Large said the leak represented a potential risk
to workers at the dockyard and was a serious breach of safety
procedures. 

He said: "This is very serious because it means there has been a
breakdown in nuclear safety protocols. 

"The risk to the public is virtually zero but there was a risk to the
workers who may have been exposed to this without being aware of it. 

"They could have transferred it to other areas of the yard where nuclear
safety controls are not in place on their shoes or clothing. 

"Systems are in place to stop this sort of leak happening so the very
fact that it did means that something has gone seriously wrong. 

"There is an underlying problem of accountability and the Ministry of
Defence have only described this incident a few days after it occurred."


Ian Avent from the Plymouth-based Campaign Against Nuclear Storage and
Radiation said: "It is the worst accident I have heard of. It beggars
beliefs it could have happened at all. 

"We are lucky the consequences of all the incidents we have had in the
dockyard have not been far, far worse. How long are we going to rely on
the management being lucky? 

"We are relying on their handling of these dangerous processes not just
for our health and safety but for our lives. 

"This does not inspire any confidence in them at all." 

A spokesman for the Royal Navy said no-one had been hurt in the incident
and the vessel's nuclear power plant was unaffected. 

He said: "Shortly after midnight on the night of November 6/7, during a
standard operation to transfer primary coolant from HMS Trafalgar to an
effluent tank on the jetty, a hose ruptured, resulting in a leak of the
coolant. 

"A maximum of 280 litres of coolant were discharged from the hose onto
the submarine casing, jetty and into the Hamoaze area of the river
Tamar. 

"As soon as the leak was discovered, the transfer was stopped, the area
was quarantined, monitoring and sampling carried out and a clean-up
operation completed. 

"Initial sampling has not detected any radioactive contamination in the
local environment. 

"The environmental risk is assessed to be negligible and analysis of
river water has not shown any detectable contamination. 

"Investigations into the cause of the rupture are ongoing and will lead
to remedial action as necessary to prevent this incident from
re-occurring. 

"This incident has not affected the submarine's programme." 

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: "Our role is to regulate
the site to ensure the protection of people and the environment. 

"We are certain there is no significant environmental impact, but we
have taken our own samples for reassurance purposes and these are in
addition to the monitoring carried out by the Ministry of Defence. 

"We will investigate the circumstances of this unauthorised discharge
and make sure that all necessary measures are taken to stop it happening
again." 

Fred Dawson  CRadP MSRP

Fwp_dawson at hotmail.com