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Radiation a threat to future residents of ex MOD brownfield sites |
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16 Oct 2013, 11:55 AM
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Future residents of housing developments built on ex MOD land could be facing threats from radioactivity, according to a new report. Such brownfield land is frequently sought after for building, being largely free of the planning restrictions attached to greenfield development.
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In the report 'Radioactive Waste Briefing No 42 – Dalgety Bay and other contaminated sites concerns, October 2013' by UK Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA), the organisation's Pembrokeshire based independent Radiation Policy Advisor Tim Deere-Jones, has warned local authorities that an unknown number of ex Second World War military bases may pose radiation threats to members of the public and the environment, as has been shown to be the case in Scotland.
At Dalgety Bay in Fife, large radioactive particles have been found on the beach and around the Dalgety Bay shoreline. Their origin is likely to have come from radium tipped dials from dismantled Second World War (WW2) fighter planes, which were disposed of after the former airfield was decommissioned.
The report notes that the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) have determined that the MOD should be responsible for the clean-up of the site, but the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is disputing these findings. It is possible that the area could also be formally designated as ‘radioactive contaminated land’.
More recently 26 other ex Second World War sites, across the UK, have also been shown to be similarly contaminated, and it appears that the cause of the contamination there is also the decommissioning of WW2 equipment. These sites include the old SAS HQ at Hereford and the old Red Arrows Air Base in Gloucestershire
Although the MOD and the Environment Agency have been unable to confirm whether or not any airfields or other sites in Wales are likely to have experienced similar disposal of WW2 equipment, the MOD has postulated that its "best guess" is that between 150 and 250 WW2 sites across England and Wales may have been thus contaminated, but it has also admitted that there may be as many as 1,000 contaminated sites.
On behalf of the NFLA Deere-Jones has researched the available data for his home county of Pembrokeshire and identified at least 14 ex WW2 RAF sites, some of which were flying bases, others radar and anti aircraft. All would have held stocks of radium contaminated material. To date it has not been possible to find ANY data on the fate/disposal of the equipment held at any of these airfields.
It is anticipated that there will be many more such sites across Wales, particularly in the southern counties, which would have assisted the guarding of WW2 Convoys using the Bristol Channel ports, and in the northern counties, which would have assisted the guarding of WW2 convoys using the Liverpool Bay ports. It should also be noted that army and naval bases may also be similarly contaminated. As of yet, a fully comprehensive list of former Second World War Welsh sites has not yet been identified.
Deere-Jones says: “Plainly this has the potential to be an issue of relevance to the public, especially in the context that a number of these sites will have open access, while others may already have been the subject of industrial or housing development, closely adjacent to housing and industrial sites or integrated into farmland. Evidently, in the event of radium contamination of such sites, there will be a variety of pathways by which human and wildlife populations could be exposed to radioactive contamination.”
The NFLA are seeking a response by the relevant authorities (MOD and Environment Agency) which would clarify the situation. It will also urge such authorities to conduct appropriate radiological surveys of potential risk sites, and then to take, or initiate, appropriate follow up decontamination action if such contamination was found. This would ensure that there are no ongoing issues of public safety, such as have now surfaced in Scotland, and for which a major environmental safety risks is evident at a number of sites.
NFLA Welsh Forum Co Chair, Councillor Ed Bridges said: “The NFLA’s report on Dalgety Bay and the identification of a large number of other bases which could have radium contamination is highly alarming. The early research suggests this could also be very much a Welsh issue of concern as well. I am keen that we get greater clarity on this from the Welsh Government and the MOD. Who knows if Welsh Councils are sitting on similar issues that are facing Fife Council at Dalgety Bay?”
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