Last year Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution HMIP (now the UK Environment Agency) reviewed the practice of using radioactive attachments to lightning conductors, and concluded that the benefits were outweighed by the possible radiological detriment. HMIP thus contacted all persons registered as having such conductors, and informed them that they had to be disposed of, or replaced by non-active alternatives. I was contacted as there happened to be one on the roof of the closed Westminster Hospital.
HMIP claimed their decision to effectively ban radioactive lightning conductors was based on the 1994 judgement by Justice Potts, on the Sellafield Judicial Review, which dealt in part with the legal implication of "Justification for a Practice".
Can anyone enlighten me further with details on this UK legal ruling? What perhaps are the knock-on effects in other areas where ionising radiations are used where there may be other alternatives?
Cheers, Have a Hot One!
(Phew you lot were busy - I take a day off work and I come back
to 100+ messages, great stuff!)
Andy Hancock
Charing Cross Hospital
London UK
a.hancock@cxwms.ac.uk