WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1668/98 by Ben FAYOT to the Commission. Safe transport of consignments of nuclear fuel
18. 1. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 13/61 (1999/C 13/087) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1665/98 by Patricia McKenna (V) to the Council (2 June 1998) Subject: Dumping of nuclear waste The current presidency of the European Council cites one of its aims as ámore effective action on environmental protection, in Europe and world-wideí. Does the Council feel that the dumping of two tanks of radioactive waste from the Atomic Weapons Establishment in Aldermaston into the River Thames would be in keeping with this aim? Furthermore, does the Council agree that the previous method of disposing of the radioactive tritium by pumping it into the air is equally irresponsible and dangerous? Bearing in mind that bathing and fishing near a nuclear waste reprocessing plant in Normandy had to be banned due to high levels of tritium (15,5 million times higher than normal) earlier this year, does the Council accept that the dangers of tritium are being underestimated? The radioactive waste in question, amounting to 100 cubic metres, is said to contain liquid tritium waste, which is known to produce changes in human DNA. As there are already leukemia clusters in nearby Newbury, does the Council believe that this is responsible behaviour? Reply (24 September 1998) Like the previous Directive of 1980 (80/836/Euratom) (1), Council Directive 96/29/Euratom laying down basic safety standards for the protection of the health of workers and the general public against the dangers arising from ionising radiation (2) covers the case of tritium. This Directive, which was adopted on 13 May 1996, increased the level of health protection against ionising radiation in the European Union. It was drawn up on the basis of the most recent scientific and technical data. The Council therefore considers that appropriate implementation of these Directives by the Member States should meet the concerns of the Honourable Member. (1) OJ L 246, 17. 9. 1980, p. 1. (2) OJ L 159, 29. 6. 1996, p. 1. (1999/C 13/088) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1668/98 by Ben Fayot (PSE) to the Commission (29 May 1998) Subject: Safe transport of consignments of nuclear fuel In France, recent checks have shown that, in 1997, over a third of all consignments of spent nuclear fuel transported from EDF power stations to the recycling plant in The Hague were contaminated by radioactivity. Those in charge of Cogema and EDF operations acknowledge that abnormal levels of radioactivity have been detected since the beginning of the 1990s. These shipments do not affect only France, but also neighbouring countries. Every year 2 500 tonnes of nuclear fuel for recycling is transported from Germany through densely populated regions along the frontiers of Belgium and Luxembourg. After the derailment at Apach (France) on 4 February 1997 of a train transporting nuclear waste from Lintgen (Germany) via Apach to Sellafield (UK), I questioned the Commission concerning the safety of transport arrangements for radioactive material