ANSTO today welcomed an acknowledgement of the relatively minor health consequences of even the most serious – albeit highly unlikely – incident occurring at their Lucas Heights facilities.
“NSW authorities have announced a revision – centred on the State assuming emergency planning responsibilities from the Sutherland Shire Council – of emergency plans to be implemented in residential areas in the vicinity of ANSTO,” said ANSTO Acting Executive Director, Dr Ron Cameron.
“The changes recognise the relatively minor health consequences that would ensue from an incident of this nature,” said Dr Cameron.
ANSTO looks forward to continuing the productive relationship that has been initiated with professional emergency planning officers from the State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC) in ongoing emergency planning for nearby residential areas.
ANSTO will also continue to work closely with the various emergency services through the ANSTO Local Liaison Working Party to ensure that its emergency arrangements remain best practice.
ANSTO acknowledges the important role of the NSW Government in emergency planning for the site, while noting that the new intervention level adopted by NSW is more conservative than intervention levels anywhere else in the world.
”ANSTO believes that a new provision for evacuation of residential areas within three kilometres of the reactor is unnecessary and exceeds the requirements of international practice around the world,” said Dr Cameron.
“There are no plans for evacuation of residential areas around any other research reactor in the world. Many of those reactors have residents living much closer to them than people do to ANSTO.
“Evacuations themselves have risks such as accident, psychological stress and threats to law and order.
ANSTO notes that the NSW analysis itself demonstrates that the potential health risks which might follow a very unlikely incident are extremely small,” concluded Dr Cameron.
Published: 12/11/2003