STOA Scientific and Technological Options Assessment POSSIBLE TOXIC EFFECTS FROM THE NUCLEAR REPROCESSING PLANTS AT SELLAFIELD (UK) AND CAP DE LA HAGUE (FRANCE) A first contribution to the scientific debate 1.) Introduction: Letter to the reader by the Chairman of the STOA Panel on the decision taken by the Panel on 23 October 2001 2.) Study by WISE - Paris 3.) Evaluation reports by experts Luxembourg, November 2001 Directorate General for Research EN EN Title: POSSIBLE TOXIC EFFECTS FROM THE NUCLEAR REPROCESSING PLANTS AT SELLAFIELD AND CAP DE LA HAGUE Workplan Ref.: EP/IV/A/STOA/2000/17/01 Publisher: European Parliament Directorate General for Research Directorate A The STOA Programme Authors: WISE - Paris, Study director: Schneider, M., Study team: Coeytaux, X., Faïd, Y.B., Marignac, Y., Rouy, E., Thompson, G. (IRSS, Cambridge, USA) Fairlie, I., Lowry, D., Sumner, D. (Independent consultants) Editor: STOA Unit Date: November 2001 PE number: PE 303.110 This document is a working Document for the 'STOA Panel'. It is not an official publication of STOA. This document does not necessarily represent the views of the European Parliament POSSIBLE TOXIC EFFECTS FROM THE NUCLEAR REPROCESSING PLANTS AT SELLAFIELD AND CAP DE LA HAGUE PE 303.110 4 POSSIBLE TOXIC EFFECTS FROM THE NUCLEAR REPROCESSING PLANTS AT SELLAFIELD AND CAP DE LA HAGUE 1. LETTER TO THE READER....................................................................................................3 2. STUDY BY WISE-PARIS ............................................................................................................5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND GENERAL CONCLUSIONS.....................................................................9 1. Introduction...................................................................................................................................... 9 2. Reprocessing Status and Issues ......................................................................................................... 9 3. International and European Legal Framework ................................................................................... 9 4. Risk Assessment of Radioactive Releases ....................................................................................... 10 5. Case Study Sellafield ...................................................................................................................... 11 6. Case Study La Hague...................................................................................................................... 13 7. Comparative and Cumulative Analysis............................................................................................ 15 8. Alternative Options......................................................................................................................... 15 General Conclusions .......................................................................................................................... 16 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................17 1.1. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY .................................................................................................................. 17 1.2. BACKGROUND AND CHRONOLOGY OF THE PROJECT ........................................................................... 18 2. REPROCESSING STATUS AND ISSUES.......................................................................................19 2.1. NUCLEAR REPROCESSING ................................................................................................................... 19 2.2. ORIGINS OF REPROCESSING ................................................................................................................ 19 2.3. IMPLICATIONS OF REPROCESSING ....................................................................................................... 20 3. INTERNATIONAL AND EUROPEAN LEGAL FRAMEWORK.........................................................21 3.1. INTERNATIONAL LEGISLATION AND TREATIES .................................................................................... 21 3.1.1. Major International Bodies........................................................................................................ 21 3.1.2. Major International Conventions............................................................................................... 21 3.1.3. The European Legal Framework And Its Implementation.......................................................... 22 3.1.3.1. Euratom Treaty 22 3.2. MARINE POLLUTION - APPLICATION OF THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE ........................................... 26 4. RISK ASSESSMENT OF RADIOACTIVE RELEASES.....................................................................28 4.1. RELEASES FROM REPROCESSING......................................................................................................... 28 4.2. COLLECTIVE DOSES............................................................................................................................ 28 4.2.1. Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 28 4.2.2. Theoretical Justification............................................................................................................ 28 4.2.3. Global Collective Doses............................................................................................................ 29 4.2.4. Important Radionuclides in Reprocessing Releases ................................................................... 29 4.2.4.1. Carbon-14 (14C) 29 4.2.4.2. Krypton-85 (85Kr) 29 4.2.4.3. Iodine-129 (129I) 29 4.2.4.4. Tritium (3H) 30 4.2.4.5. Technetium-99 (99Tc) 30 4.3. UNCERTAINTIES IN RISK ASSESSMENT................................................................................................ 31 5. CASE STUDY SELLAFIELD ......................................................................................................33 5.1. NATIONAL REGULATORY FRAMEWORK .............................................................................................. 33 5.2. OPERATIONS AT SELLAFIELD .............................................................................................................. 33 5.3. RELEASES FROM SELLAFIELD ............................................................................................................. 34 5.3.1. Air Emissions ........................................................................................................................... 34 5.3.2. Liquid Discharges..................................................................................................................... 35 5.3.3. Technetium Discharges............................................................................................................. 37 5.3.4. Expected Future Sellafield Discharges ...................................................................................... 37 5.4. IMPACT OF SELLAFIELD DISCHARGES ................................................................................................. 39 5.4.1. Plutonium and other actinides near Sellafield ............................................................................ 39 5.4.2. Estimated Doses from Consumption of Irish Sea Fish and Shellfish .......................................... 40 5 PE 303.110 POSSIBLE TOXIC EFFECTS FROM THE NUCLEAR REPROCESSING PLANTS AT SELLAFIELD AND CAP DE LA HAGUE 5.4.3. Doses to Critical Groups........................................................................................................... 40 5.4.4. Environmental Concentrations .................................................................................................. 40 5.4.4.1. Changes between 1989-1999 40 5.4.4.2. Detailed Concentrations in Fish, Shellfish, Sediments and Aquatic Plants 41 5.4.5. Technetium Concentrations....................................................................................................... 41 5.4.5.1. Technetium-99 Concentrations in Marine Samples 41 5.4.5.2. Uptake of Technetium-99 by Marine Plants and Animals 42 5.4.6. Conclusions on Concentrations and Doses ................................................................................ 43 5.5. THE HAZARD POSED BY LIQUID HIGH LEVEL WASTE AT SELLAFIELD................................................. 44 5.6. HEALTH EFFECTS AT SELLAFIELD....................................................................................................... 46 5.6.1. Childhood Leukemia at Seascale............................................................................................... 46 5.6.2. Paternal Pre-Conception Irradiation .......................................................................................... 47 5.6.3. Population Mixing .................................................................................................................... 47 5.6.4. Other Possible Health Effects at Sellafield ................................................................................ 47 5.6.5. Conclusions on Health Effects .................................................................................................. 48 6. CASE STUDY LA HAGUE.........................................................................................................49 6.1. NATIONAL REGULATORY FRAMEWORK .............................................................................................