UK
nuclear workers told to stay home as radioactivity rises
Britain’s
Sellafield nuclear reprocessing site has told non-essential workers
to stay home Friday due to the detection of abnormally high levels of
radiation.
RT,
31
January, 2014
The
radiation spike was detected by one of the monitors at the north end
of the partially decommissioned site.
"Levels
of radioactivity detected are above naturally occurring radiation but
well below that which would call for any actions to be taken by the
workforce on or off the site," Sellafield said in a statement.
Sellafield
later tweeted that it had found no evidence of a nuclear event.
Sellafield
management have sought to reassure the public that radiation levels
are not high enough to warrant any emergency. Apart from the reduced
staffing levels, the site is operating normally, the company said.
"In
response to an operational condition on the Sellafield site a
conservative and prudent decision has been taken, to operate the site
at reduced manning levels, commensurate with safe operations,"
the company said in a statement.
UK
Energy Ministry said it is in contact with Sellafield and sees no
reason to believe that the incident is more serious than what the
company says it is.
Britain's
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority said the source of the radiation
could not be immediately established, but that actions were being
taken in response to the incident.
Sellafield
nuclear reprocessing site in Cumbria, northwest England, is currently
undergoing decommission.
A
Cold War legacy, Sellafield holds dozens of tons of plutonium waste
from Britain’s nuclear weapons program. One of its buildings is
dubbed "the most hazardous industrial building in western
Europe."
The
site attracts anti-nuclear campaigners, partially due to a number of
radiation leaks the site has experienced over the decades.
Sellafield
closure was announced in June 2012, following concerns over
environmental damage and terrorist threats. It has cost British
taxpayers at least £67.5 billion ($106 billion).
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