Re: La Hague - 90000 times increase in air radioactivity

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

Bjorn:

I posted this news bit last evening..  I have seen no further updates:

Monday November 9 1:41 PM ET 

Environmentalists Denounce Radioactive Air

PARIS (Reuters) - Tests at a nuclear reprocessing plant in northern 
France have revealed quotas of airborne radioactivity many 
thousands of times above normal atmospheric levels, environmental 
group Greenpeace said Monday.  

Greenpeace said samples taken near the La Hague plant, which is 
run by state-owned firm Cogema, showed a strong presence
of a rare radioactive gas, Krypton-85.

``Using a computer model, Greenpeace has demonstrated that gas 
emissions from Cogema affect a large part of the air in Western 
Europe, before being spread out around the rest of the planet,'' 
Greenpeace said in a statement.  

However, a Cogema spokesman said the levels of Krypton-85 
quoted by Greenpeace did not represent any threat to the public, 
adding that the Krypton-85 gas was not highly toxic.  

``This is just a case of theatricals from Greenpeace which is ready 
to do anything to stop this industry,'' said Cogema's director of 
safety and the environment, Jean-Pierre Laurent.  

Greenpeace said that samples taken over a two-week period at 
various altitudes around La Hague showed the air there contained 
90,000 becquerels of Krypton-85 per cubic meter, against just 1-2 
Bq/m3 in normal atmospheric conditions.  

``The La Hague factories represent the biggest source of airborne 
radioactivity in the world, and the emissions have increased 
significantly in recent years,'' Greenpeace said.  

``Very little research has been published into atmospheric 
radioactive pollution from reprocessing plants. Yet millions of cubic 
meters of contaminated air are emitted each day. The health of 
whole populations is bearing the brunt of this great nuclear 
experience,'' it added. For related news, double click on one of the 
following codes: G FR EUROPE WEU ENV NEWS LEN RTRS 
Monday, 9 November 1998 17:51:16 RTRS nL09323043 
------------------
Sandy Perle
Technical Director
ICN Dosimetry Division
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Office: (800) 548-5100 x2306 
Fax:    (714) 668-3149
  
sandyfl@earthlink.net
sperle@icnpharm.com

Personal Website: http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/1205
        
ICN Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com

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              - G. K. Chesterton -

The opinions expressed are solely, absolutely, positively, definitely those of the author, and NOT my employer

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