Dounreay Particles: Extent of the Contamination and Human Health Implications

Philip Cartwright - United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA)

Paul Dale - Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)

Thursday 02 November 2006

Fragments of irradiated nuclear fuel (particles) were released from the Dounreay site into the sea. Although most of the particles are believed to remain on the seabed in sediment, some of the particles have been detected on the Dounreay foreshore, on the beach at Sandside, and a single particle has been found on Dunnet beach.

To date, all of the organisations involved with protecting human health, the enviroment and the the site itself have invested a large amount of resources into the continuing issue of particles in the environment. The presentations by Philip Cartwright (UKAEA) and Paul Dale (SEPA) will give an introduction to this issue and present some of the recent work conducted by their respective organisations to understand the extent of the cotamination and the hazard it presents to human health.