urg:::LucasH; Senate Inq; Silex; Radiologists Warning

[Gavin Mudd]

City fault line puts nuclear reactor on hold

By Stephanie Peatling
June 22 2002


Building of the replacement nuclear research reactor at Lucas Heights has
been stopped after the discovery of a fault line under the site.

While the nuclear regulatory body called the news an "inconvenience", the
Federal Minister for Science, Peter McGauran, promised work on the
controversial reactor would resume after a full analysis.

The fault line was found by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology
Organisation earlier this week during a geological study of excavation for
the new reactor's foundations.

The study was carried out by a New Zealand company, the Institute of
Geological and Nuclear Sciences.

It was reported to the nuclear regulatory body, the Australian Radiation
Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), which has commissioned a
full report on the possible implications for the site of the fault line.

The director of the regulatory branch at ARPANSA, Don McNab, said the
discovery was "an inconvenience and a disappointment". "We don't know the
full extent of it yet but it is a setback and more work needs to be done."

Construction on the $320 million replacement reactor began in April. When
completed in 2005, the reactor will be used to make nuclear medicine.

While seismologists at Geoscience Australia said they had been directed not
to comment on earthquake activity in the Sydney region, a researcher at the
privately funded Seismological Research Centre, Wayne Peck, said discovery
of fault lines was not uncommon.

"If you look hard enough you will find a fault line but it becomes more
difficult to determine whether or not there is any activity," Mr Peck, a
seismologist, said.

Because Sydney lies in the middle of a tectonic plate, Mr Peck said, it was
not prone to regular periods of earthquake activity. "The rate of activity
is low but we have seen major earthquakes in the area."

Environment groups called for the immediate closure of the Lucas Heights
reactor and a halt to construction on the
replacement.

The nuclear campaigner for the Australian Conservation Foundation, Dave
Sweeney, said the construction licence for the replacement reactor should be
revoked until the safety of the site could be guaranteed.

"Every aspect of the approval of this controversial project has been
fast-tracked and it is looking increasingly vulnerable," Mr Sweeney said.

NSW Greens MP Lee Rhiannon said "the only course of responsible action ...
is for the nuclear reactor project to be immediately cancelled".

"I am seeking urgent talks with the NSW Premier to impress on him that he
should add his voice to the growing calls to scrap the new nuclear reactor
plan," Ms Rhiannon said.

But Mr McGauran stressed the project would go ahead.

"These issues will be quickly resolved and the project will proceed post
haste," he said.

"It appears that everything was done by the book and this setback was
entirely unpredictable."

The Australian Democrats and Greens also called for a halt to the project
and Labor has asked for a briefing on the situation from ARPANSA.

The full report on the fault line and its implications is expected to take
between two and four weeks.

Mr McNab said ARPANSA would consider submitting the results to international
experts for verification.


Copyright © 2002. Sydney Morning Herald. All rights reserved.

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Fault line must stop reactor: Dems

21jun02


THE discovery of a fault line under the site for Sydney's Lucas Heights
nuclear reactor must lead to the withdrawal of all approvals, the Australian
Democrats have said.

The fault line was discovered during construction work on the replacement
reactor at Lucas Heights in Sydney's south this week.

Democrats leader Natasha Stott Despoja today said if the fault line was
confirmed, it was only a matter of good luck it was discovered before the
new reactor was built and operating.

"It beggars belief that this kind of basic information was not found as part
of the lengthy, but obviously not very effective, assessment and approval
processes," Senator Stott Despoja said.

"The Australian community was told that safety and health concerns are
paramount, while the reality is entirely different.

"The entire process has been directed towards giving approvals and hastening
construction without proper work being done.

"Lucas Heights may be the most mismanaged development in Australia."

The national nuclear regulator, ARPANSA, granted a construction licence in
April for Argentinian company INVAP to build the replacement reactor despite
pleas from environmentalists, community groups and local councillors to
block the plan.


© News Limited 2002 - www.news.com.au - Breaking News

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Work continues at Australian nuclear site despite discovery of earthquake
fault line

Fri Jun 21, 3:28 AM ET

By EMMA TINKLER, Associated Press Writer


SYDNEY, Australia - Work proceeded Friday at the site of a new nuclear
reactor in suburban Sydney, despite calls for the government to reconsider
the project after an earthquake ( news - web sites) fault line was
discovered there.

Peter Russell, spokesman for the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology
Organization, a federal government agency responsible for the reactor, said
heavy machinery was excavating the site and preparing the ground for the
foundations to be laid.

He said a full report on the age of the fault line would not be known for
several weeks, but said the nuclear reactor "will proceed at the site —
there's no doubt about that."

The fault was found earlier this week by scientists during a routine
examination at the reactor excavation site at Lucas Heights in southwestern
Sydney.

Officials have not released any details of the fault line, but they conceded
on Thursday the development was a concern.

Science Minister Peter McGauran on Friday played down the discovery, urging
the community to wait until scientists had delivered their full report and
not "jump to conclusions."

"It appears that everything was done by the book and this setback was
entirely unpredictable," McGauran said. "These issues will be quickly
resolved and the project will proceed post haste."

But opposition lawmakers said Friday the government should withdraw its
approval of the reactor.

"It beggars belief that this kind of basic information was not found as part
of the lengthy, but obviously not very effective, assessment and approval
processes," said Sen. Natasha Stott Despoja, leader of the Australian
Democrats.

"The Australian community was told that safety and health concerns are
paramount, while the reality is entirely different. Lucas Heights may be the
most mismanaged development in Australia," she added.

The opposition Labor Party called on the federal government's nuclear
regulator, the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency, to
immediately state everything it knows about the fault line.

"There is a proposal to build a nuclear reactor ... on an earthquake fault
line, that's a matter I think of deep concern to the citizens of Sydney,"
said Kim Carr, Labor's spokesman on science and research.

Sydney has never been struck by a serious earthquake, but a strong 5.6
magnitude quake shook the city of Newcastle, 150 kilometers (90 miles) to
the north, in 1989, causing widespread damage and killing 13 people.

In February, a 3.8 magnitude quake hit Wollongong, only about 50 kilometers
(30 miles) south of the reactor site and was felt in southern Sydney. No
damage was reported.

The new 300 million Australian dollar (U.S. dlrs 171 million) reactor was
approved in April by the federal government, despite protests about safety
from environmentalists and residents living nearby.

The reactor will produce radioactive material for use in medicine and
research but will not generate power. It is being built near an aging
reactor that will be decommissioned once the new reactor starts work in
2005.


Copyright © 2002 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.

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June 20, 2002

Fault Line Found Australia Nuke Site


Scientists found the fault during a routine examination at the excavation
site, said Don Macnab, director of the regulatory branch of Australia's
nuclear safety agency.

"We don't know what the age of it is. There is further work going on to
determine what the significance of that anomaly is," Macnab said.

Sydney has never been struck by a serious earthquake, but a strong 5.6
magnitude quake shook Newcastle, 90 miles to the north, in 1989, causing
widespread damage and killing 13 people.

And in February, a 3.8 magnitude quake hit Wollongong, only about 30 miles
south and was felt in southern Sydney. No damage was reported.

The $168 million reactor was approved in April despite protests about safety
from environmentalists and residents living nearby. It will produce
radioactive material for use in medicine and research but will not generate
power.


All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. - www.lasvegassun.com

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Posted: Sat, 22 Jun 2002 10:29 ACST

Kakadu traditional owners confident of safer Ranger Mine


The traditional owners of Kakadu National Park say they are confident a
uranium inquiry announced in Federal Parliament this week will lead to more
environmentally safe mining practices at the Ranger uranium mine.

The Opposition asked for the inquiry after raising concerns about mines in
the Northern Territory and South Australia.

The GundjehmiCorporation's Andy Ralph says the inquiry will focus on the
Commonwealth Office of the Supervising Scientist which at present does not
enjoy the confidence of traditional owners.

"We'd be hoping that there'd be closer engagement by the Government
scientists on the minesite," he said.

"At the moment the Federal Government's Supervising Scientist and his office
do monthly inspections and they do sit on environmental and scientific
committees but I think that the hands needs to be moved more formerly and
firmly placed on the wheel."


© 2002 Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Senate launches probe into uranium mines

By AAP


Australia's uranium mine operations will be subject to a Senate inquiry
after a recent spate of leaks and accidents.

The inquiry will be set up after Labor, the Australian Democrats and Greens
teamed up to raise the issue in Federal Parliament.

The Senate inquiry should report by December this year on the regulatory,
monitoring and reporting regimes that govern environmental performance at
the mines.

The inquiry is to focus on the role of the Commonwealth in ensuring adequate
health and environmental standards.

Opposition environment spokesman Kelvin Thomson said the inquiry was needed
to restore public confidence, especially given evidence of contamination of
water leading into a creek.

"At one stage there was uranium found at the order of 14,000 parts per
billion, that is 700 times the Australian drinking water standard," he said.

Energy Resources of Australia Ltd said it looked forward to expressing its
views on the effectiveness of reporting regimes and changes and improvements
the company wanted adopted.

The Northern Territory Government recently announced an environment review
of ERA's Ranger mine and Jabiluka lease within Kakadu National Park.

The independent technical review comes after concerns over elevated uranium
levels in water run-off earlier this year.

Already, the Federal Government's Supervising Scientist has warned ERA to
lift its game or face restrictions.

In South Australia, a state Government investigation found the Beverley
uranium mine must make sweeping changes to safety and operational procedures
after four separate spills this year.

The local Mirrar people in the Kakadu area, near the Ranger mine, said the
inquiry was recognition there were fundamentally flawed regimes in place.

"This is a recognition that at Ranger and Jabiluka we have a fundamentally
flawed regulatory regime that has seen repeated environmental failures at bo
th operations," Gundjehmi Aboriginal Corporation executive officer and
Mirrar people spokesman Andy Ralph said.

Australian Conservation Foundation spokesman Dave Sweeney said the inquiry
would be focused and could lead to better operations.


© 2002 The Canberra Times - canberra.yourguide.com.au

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Senate to study Australia's uranium mines after a series of leaks

Friday, June 21, 2002
By Associated Press


CANBERRA, Australia — The Senate will hold an inquiry into a series of leaks
of radioactive waste from Australian uranium mines, opposition lawmakers
announced Thursday.

There have been at least five leaks of contaminated water and radioactive
waste at two of Australia's three uranium mines this year, government
reports have said.

Government and mining company scientists have said none of the spills
threatened employee safety or caused environmental damage, but opposition
parties and environmental groups have challenged that finding.

The probe will focus on the role of the federal government in ensuring that
adequate health and environmental standards are maintained at mines,
opposition Labor Party lawmaker Kelvin Thomson said Thursday. Thomson said
the inquiry, which will investigate environmental regulations, monitoring,
and reporting at the mines, was needed to restore public confidence in
uranium mining in Australia.

Early last month, almost 15,000 liters (3,900 gallons) of contaminated water
spilled from a pipe at the Beverley Mine in South Australia state. The
incident came just four days after another spill and was the third at the
site this year.

At the Ranger mine in Australia's Northern Territory, which is surrounded by
the World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park, a leak in April was found to
contain 14 times the normal level of contaminants.

It followed another leak on the site, which is operated by Energy Resources
Australia Ltd. (ERA) in February.

ERA said Thursday it looked forward to expressing its views on the
effectiveness of reporting requirements and the changes and improvements the
company wants the government to adopt.

Environmental groups also welcomed the inquiry.


Copyright © 2001 Environmental News Network Inc. - www.enn.com/news/

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New Scientist Online - June 21, 2002 - Letters

Australia's nuclear clean-up


Congratulations on Rob Edwards's excellent article about the legacy of
Britain's quest for nuclear weapons (25 May, p 42). Unfortunately, while the
article describes the many contaminated sites in Britain, it does not
mention what is almost certainly the largest site in terms of area, and
perhaps in radioactivity. I refer to the Maralinga site in South Australia.

Following the explosion of seven nuclear weapons at that site, Britain
conducted a series of fifteen trials, code-named Vixen B, between 1961 and
1963. These trials spread plutonium and uranium over many hundreds of square
kilometres. In addition, thousands of tonnes of plutonium-contaminated
debris were buried in 21 pits. In 1967, Britain conducted Operation Brumby
to clean up the mess left by the trials.

In 1994, the Australian government commenced a second clean-up of the site,
to which Britain contributed a paltry £20 million. The latest clean-up
showed that Operation Brumby had been far from satisfactory. Concrete caps
should have covered the debris pits, but when the contaminated soil was
removed, the team found that the caps were either far too small or in the
wrong place. Plutonium-contaminated debris was found only a few centimetres
below the surface around all of the pits.

The Australian approach to the rehabilitation of contaminated sites must be
unique in the Western world. Since there was no regulatory organisation to
set the standards, the government relied on an advisory committee to define
the clean-up criteria. When the Australian regulatory organisation came into
being towards the end of the project, they simply accepted what the
committee had specified. Generally, the removal of contaminated soil from
only two out of many hundreds of square kilometres achieved these criteria,
and for that the workers are to be congratulated.

However, the clean-up of the debris pits became a contentious issue when the
treatment by in situ vitrification, which immobilises the plutonium for
thousands of years, was abandoned in a cost-cutting exercise. Instead, the
government simply buried the debris only two to three metres below ground in
a bare hole in totally unsuitable geology. This, according to the chief
regulator, was the world's best practice.

I trust that Britain adopts a better approach when those many sites are
tackled.

Alan Parkinson
Weetangera, Australian Capital Territory


© Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.

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Cloud over Silex uranium research

By Lucy Beaumont
June 21 2002


Shares in Australian uranium technology research company Silex Systems dived
more than 40 per cent yesterday despite assurances that the United States
company funding its core research was still on board.

Silex shares hit a 42-month low of $1.40 before closing at $1.52, down $1.08
on the day.

The stock reached $3.50 in March but has slid steadily amid speculation its
partner, United States Enrichment Corporation, was shifting its focus to
centrifuge uranium extraction, an established technology.

On Tuesday, USEC inked a deal with the US Department of Energy to process
Russian uranium and committed to establishing a plant using the centrifuge
method by 2011.

Silex chief executive Dr Michael Goldsworthy said USEC would "continue to
fund 100 per cent of the project costs" but his statement seemed to fall on
deaf ears.

Wilson HTM director Paul McCarthy said the stock would stabilise before
climbing in value, but another analyst was not so positive, predicting Silex
stock would "drift lower" in the short term.

The analyst said USEC's announced deal with the Department of Energy sent a
clear message to investors.

"It looks as if centrifuge is now being adopted," he said. "The door is
still open for Silex but the gap is pretty narrow."

Mr McCarthy dismissed such arguments, saying that "sentiments override
fundamentals in the first instance and that's what's occurring".

He remained confident that Silex stock would regain lost value and called
for patience.

"We've probably seen the bottom. A good set of test results in the next six
months will restore confidence," he said. "The value of the stock is
potentially so far above prices we've ever seen. That's going to emerge over
the next five years. Genuine technology companies take time to deliver."

Mr McCarthy said that Silex, which stands for Separation by Laser
Excitation, was "one of the most exciting technologies that Australia
potentially has".


Copyright © 2002 The Age Company Ltd

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Posted :Fri, 21 Jun 2002 16:41 AEST

Radiologists caution on advertised scan


The Royal Australian College of Radiologists is cautioning people against
spending up to $1,000 for a cancer scan.

Advertisements have appeared in some Sydney newspapers promoting CT scans as
an exciting new development in the early detection of diseases including
lung cancer, heart disease and tumours.

The college's president, Doctor Paul Sprague, says there is no scientific
evidence showing that the scans are reliable in detecting cancer.

Doctor Sprague is concerned people will unnecessarily be exposed to high
levels of radiation and possibly misdiagnosed.

"We believe this is about saying to people, the evidence is not there to
suggest that these are going to be effective in the population to reduce
illness, or indeed prolong life," he said.


© 2002 Australian Broadcasting Corporation