ban rad smoke dectectors ?

["Franta, Jaroslav" <frantaj@AECL.CA>]

NUCLEAR NEWS FLASHES - Tuesday, May 4, 2004

INTERNATIONAL:

--SHOULD RADIOACTIVE LIGHTNING RODS AND SMOKE DETECTORS BE BANNED? 

France's senior nuclear regulator, Andre-Claude Lacoste, asked that question

today at

the close of a day-long conference in Paris devoted to the management of

radioactively contaminated sites. Lacoste said use of such devices, which

cause contamination problems if not properly managed, may not be justified.

He also suggested that multidisciplinary working groups be set up to

investigate contamination issues posed by former uranium mining sites, on

the model of what was done around Cogema's La Hague reprocessing site. He

called for completion of France's inventory of contaminated sites and said

the administration will be in a position to identify priority sites within a

year.