ANSTO’s Acting Executive Director, Dr Ron Cameron, will accompany The Federal Minister for Science, Mr Peter McGauran, to answer questions about the transportation of low level radioactive waste at a public meeting to be held in Broken Hill’s Community Centre at 2:00pm tomorrow.
Dr Cameron said it was important for the public to be aware of the processes, know the facts and understand the reasons for the generation, storage and transportation of radioactive waste.
"There is a degree of misinformation in the community regarding the transport of radioactive waste," said Dr Cameron. "ANSTO is attending to ensure the community understands the realities of the situation.
"Low level radioactive waste is just that: it is waste material that emits low levels of radiation. For example, if you stood two metres away from a truck full of low level waste for one hour without moving you would receive less radiation that you would if you flew to Los Angeles and back.
"It has an excellent safety record. Worldwide there are tens of millions of radioactive transports and there has never been an incident with consequences for human health," concluded Dr Cameron.
Dr Cameron has worked in the nuclear industry for over twenty years, is actively involved in the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and is an expert in radiation safety.