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29 August 2007

PM must come clean on nuclear waste dump plans.

The Environment Centre NT (ECNT) has called on the federal government to come clean on the full range and volume of radioactive and toxic materials likely to be dumped at the proposed NT nuclear waste dump.

ECNT has identified that at least twelve categories of radioactive material are almost certain to end up at any NT dump, including:

  • Approx. 50 cubic metres of highly radioactive waste produced from reprocessing more than a thousand existing and future spent reactor fuel rods (Lucas Heights) – arriving over the next 40 years in containers probably via Darwin Harbour;

  • Approx. 130 drums per year of radioactive ‘compactable low level solid waste’, e.g. vials, gloves etc (Lucas Heights);

  • Approx 20 drums per year of solidified radioactive ‘sludge’ produced in the treatment of reactor wastewaters (Lucas Heights);

  • Hundreds of tonnes of radioactive ‘non-compactable contaminated items’, e.g. materials from the decommissioned old Lucas Heights reactor, pipes, machinery etc;

  • A stockpile of over 5,000 drums of ‘low level radioactive waste’ (Lucas Heights);

  • A stockpile of over 200 cubic metres of ‘intermediate level solid waste’ some with ‘unknown radioactive inventory’ (Lucas Heights);

  • Over 800 drums of ‘historical wastes’ including radioactive thorium, beryllium and uranium (Lucas Heights);

  • Over 2000 litres of radioactive contaminated charcoal (Lucas Heights);

  • Hundreds of used air filters containing radioactive contamination (Lucas Heights);

  • Around ten cubic metres of highly dangerous solidified molybdenum ‘long lived intermediate level waste’ (Lucas Heights);

  • Over 2000 cubic metres of radioactive contaminated soil currently stored at Woomera;

  • Other Commonwealth Defence Department and CSIRO ‘historic’ radioactive waste

“This material is not hospital waste. It’s time the PM came clean about his government’s plans for nuclear waste dumps in the NT” said ECNT Coordinator Charles Roche.

“If John Howard supports plebiscites on nuclear power in the south, then he should support a plebiscite for nuclear waste in the NT. We call upon the PM to adopt the NT Parliaments call for a plebiscite.

For more information contact Charles Roche on (08) 8981 1984 or
0448 887 303

References: ANSTO Replacement Nuclear Research Reactor Draft EIS, Vol 2;  Commonwealth Department of Science (DEST) Radioactive Waste Information Service, July 2005; Friends of the Earth Australia, “Some things you should know about a national store for nuclear waste”, 2003

For more information on the no waste dump campaign and/or Darwin's 'No Radioactive Waste Dump Committee':
Justin Tutty at No Waste Alliance: Email Justin Ph: 8985 4931

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The Environment Centre of the Northern Territory
3/98 Woods St, Darwin » Postal Address: GPO Box 2120, Darwin 0801 NT
Phone: 08 8981 1984 » Fax: 08 8941 0387 » E-mail: admin@ecnt.org