radioactively contaminated land
You may already be aware that new regulations[1] have come into
force, which extend the provisions of Part 2A[2] to include any
off-site contamination caused by "nuclear occurrences". This
amendment was required to implement a European Directive[3].
In broad terms, any off-site radioactive contamination from
licensed nuclear sites is now included in the contaminated land
regime. At this stage, when land is contaminated by a nuclear
occurrence, the Secretary of State is the sole appropriate person
rather than the operator of a nuclear energy site. These changes do
not amend Part 2A for other forms of contamination.
our comment
It will be rare for local authorities to come across such
contamination. With confusion over the differences between nuclear
sites and radioactively contaminated sites, and with a slightly
different way of dealing with liability issues along with public
concern about radioactive issues, very careful consideration needs
to be given to managing any site that has even the hint of
radioactive contamination. Sometimes an ordinary looking factory
can suffer from low levels of radioactive contamination from x-ray
equipment, watches and the luminous paint used on aircraft and
other instruments.
Notes:
[1] The Radioactive Contaminated Land (Modification of
Enactments)(England)(Amendment) Regulations 2007 (S! 2007/3245)
[2] The Environmental Protection Act 1990 Part 2A
[3] Basic Safety Standards Directive 96/29/Euratom, Article
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