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New Report assesses risks to Ireland from incidents at Sellafield
Environment Minister Phil Hogan today released the summary of a report prepared by an independent team of international experts which assesses the probable risks to Ireland from incidents at the Sellafield nuclear site. The Report concluded that incidents at the Sellafield site resulting in the release of radioactive material would result in “no observable health effects in Ireland”.
Minister Hogan said:
For many decades, the Government of Ireland and its people have been concerned about the potential impacts on Ireland and the Irish Sea from nuclear activities at the Sellafield site. A group of eight independent experts quantified the likelihood of incidents occurring at Sellafield and amongst their key findings is that incidents at the Sellafield site resulting in the release of radioactive material would result in “no observable health effects in Ireland.
This report released today entitled - “Risks to Ireland from Incidents at the Sellafield Site” is based on previously unavailable information which was essential to building up an objective and scientifically robust assessment of the risks to Ireland from Sellafield.
The Minister added:
My Department and others will now study the information in the report in detail and use it to feed it into Government policies relating to Sellafield and nuclear policy in the UK. Ireland must continue to be vigilant in relation to Sellafield as work to decommission the site over the lifetime of the “Sellafield Plan” continues. It is critical from an Irish perspective that the UK decommissioning of the site is undertaken safely and in accordance with best international practice.
The publication of this report today marks the improved information sharing process that has developed between the Irish and UK Governments since 2008. Particularly given our status as a non-nuclear country, Ireland looks forward to the continued timely sharing of key information with the UK Authorities in the future on nuclear matters.
The report is available on the website
www.environ.ieRead the full press release
here.