Re: LLW status according to AP: a fair s

["J. J. Rozental" <josrozen@netmedia.net.il>]

At 06:15 AM 7/17/97 -0500, you wrote:
>Franz,
>
>The London Convention is an agreement. It is not law. It is voluntary for=20
>countries to sign such conventions. I suspect that many have not signed thi=
>s=20
>particular one. Most waste  that could be sea dumped arises from reactors=20
>and fuel reprocessing. Does any one have a list of signatories from amongst=
>=20
>the countries who use nuclear power?
>
>As for the UK, Britain was forced to suspend sea dumping initially by a=20
>concerted effort by Greenpeace. They positioned inflatable boats under the=20
>barrel ramps and even caught a drum. Later a disposal boat was modified to=20
>have accees to the sea via a hole in the hull. Eventually the National Unio=
>n=20
>of Seaman refused to man ships involved in dumping! I do not know if Britai=
>n=20
>later signed the London Convention.
>
>Roy Ryder
>
>Daresbury Laboratory, UK
> ----------

        The London Convention does not apply only to radioactive material.
"The Contracting Parties to the Convention on the Prevention of Marine
Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (London Convention 1972, LC
72), formerly referred to as the London Dumping Convention (LDC), have
designated the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as the Competent
International Organization in technical matters relating to radioactive
waste. In accordance with its mandate, the IAEA has periodically formulated
a definition of High Level Radioactive Waste HLRW unsuitable for dumping at
sea. Dumping of Low Level Radioactive Wastes LLRW at sea was discontinued in
1983 when the Contracting Parties agreed on a non-binding moratorium pending
a review the scientif, political, legal, economic and social aspects of this
practice.  To review and summarize available scientificc information on
estimates of risk, both voluntary and involuntary, that result from various
human activities to provide a basis for comparisons resulting from the
dumping at sea of radioactive wastes the IAEA convened an Avisory Group
Meeting on Risks from Sea Dumping Compared with other Risks. The result is
the IAEA-TECDOC-725 -- Risk comparisons relevant to sea disposal of low
level radioactive waste, November, 1993

For ample information, please GO TO

http://www.iaea.or.at/worldatom/glance/legal/inf205.html

and

http://www.iaea.or.at/worldatom/inficircs/i205a1r1.html 

J. J, Rozental
Consultant, Radiantion Safety and Regulation
for Developing Countries, Israel