The transportation of low level nuclear waste (LLW) was put in context today by ANSTO’s Dr John Harries, when he spoke at a public hearing of submissions to the NSW Parliamentary Joint Select Committee on the Transportation and Storage of Nuclear Waste held at Sutherland Shire Council.
"Each month approximately 4,700 packages containing radioisotopes for medical and industrial use are transported to Australian cities and towns, with about half originating from ANSTO," said Dr Harries.
"Just one of these source transports would have a radioactive content much greater than a truck load of low level waste.
"Low level waste is just that, it contains and gives off low levels of radiation. For example, if you stood two metres away from a truck full of low level waste for one hour, you would receive less than the amount of radiation you would receive flying to Los Angeles and back," he said.
Dr Harries pointed out that no one questions the necessity to transport a variety of hazardous goods on Australian roads every day.
"The public accepts that we need to transport fuel, gases and other toxic chemicals for use by the public, medicine and industry. Yet spills from these chemicals pose a significantly greater risk to the public and the environment than accidents involving vehicles carrying low level waste," Dr Harries said.
The transportation of radioactive materials is conducted under rigorous international and national standards including the Australian Code of Practice for the Transportation of Radioactive Materials 2001.
"Over several decades tens of millions of packages containing radioactive materials have safely travelled around the world, and there has never been an accident causing serious human health, or economic or environmental consequences," said Dr Harries.
The LLW leaving ANSTO will be in solid form so there will be no liquid and therefore no possibility of leakage. The solids will be contained in multiple levels of containment in steel drums, sometimes mixed with concrete and then packed securely inside steel shipping containers.
Transport containers are designed to remain intact in an accident and even if such an event occurred there would be no significant or life-threatening radiological consequences. Any major effect to third parties would arise primarily from the physical impact of vehicles – as in any road accident.
"ANSTO’s rigorous safety procedures ensure that waste is stored and will be transported in the safest possible way.
"The Sutherland Shire Council’s web site states that one of its key objectives is pursue the removal of radioactive waste from Lucas Heights. To do this the waste needs to be transported through the Shire itself," Dr Harries concluded.