Advertising - Piling on the Radioactive Rubbish

The 'Managing Radioactive Waste Safely' Partnership is piling on radioactive rubbish with an advertising campaign sent to every house in the Lakes with the aim of "implementing geological disposal" in Cumbria.

For every meeting we can afford to attend, Radiation Free Lakeland will be handing out leaflets urging people to oppose this diabolic process.

Click on a thumbnail for a slideshow view

Radiation Free Lakeland is based in South Lakeland on the border with Lancashire and we regularly witness radioactive waste en route to Sellafield accross the Morecambe Bay viaduct on one side and through Grayrigg on the other. Despite the Nirex Inquiry of 15 years ago ruling that Cumbria is not suitable for the geological disposal of nuclear waste, highly volatile radioactive wastes continue to arrive here.

The nasty "partnership" process is aimed solely at steering "volunteer" communities into accepting deep disposal of high-level nuclear waste in return for money. The safer option of above-ground and retrievable waste management and nuclear phase out is not even on the agenda. If the "volunteer" process fails then the government "will look at other options" to force "disposal." We take this to mean forcing an underground high-level nuclear dump on communities.

The process is looking to include new-build waste and the pro-nuclear Department of Energy and Climate Change is desperate to give the appearance of having solved the problem of nuclear waste in order to go ahead with new build.

For every meeting we can afford to attend we will be handing out leaflets urging people to oppose this diabolic process.

The nuclear industry insist that: "The geological barrier, i.e. the rocks along potential flow paths back to the surface, is the ‘natural barrier’ and the slow dissolution and subsequent migration of radionuclides and their potential dilution during this migration is one of the essential elements of the concept of geological disposal"   In other words : The most dangerous radioactive pollutants known to man diluted in Lakeland water and rocks before reaching the surface? Gives a whole new meaning to Mrs Tiggywinkle washing Peter Rabbit's laundry in a bubbling Lakeland spring at the side of a mountain. (There are plans to produce a painting at every meeting- a retelling of Beatrix Potter's Tales - Tig's turn to do the washing - Pete's smalls hanging out to dry. Mrs Tiggywinkle's and Peter Rabbit's descendents!)

A report published this month by Dr Helen Wallace for Greenpeace International confirms that deep disposal of radioactive wastes has the "potential for significant radiological releases through a variety of mechanisms." We have formally registered our commitment to oppose the so-called Managing Radioactive Wastes Safely Partnership, which is doublespeak for "out of sight, out of mind - whatever the consequences." The word 'volunteer' has also been corrupted.

Rather than filling in one way street questionnaires, we advise putting a line across the whole lot and writing :"£400M of research says NO to geological disposal - I agree with the findings of the original Nirex evidence based research (not this years desk top study). Geological disposal should be ruled out to ensure a viable future for Cumbria".  We urge others to register their opposition. 

£400M of Scientific Evidence Says No Nuke Dump in Cumbria.

Slide Show by Dr Helen Wallace - Executive Director of Genewatch UK - November 2010

http://www.genewatch.org/uploads/f03c6d66a9b354535738483c1c3d49e4/HW_allerdale_fin.pdf

Slide Show by Prof David Smythe November 2010 http://davidsmythe.org/nuclear/cumbria%20bgs%20exclusion%20report%20review%20for%20website.pdf More: http://davidsmythe.org/nuclear/nuclear.htm

Links:

Radiation Free Lakeland

MRWS Events

Contact email: rafl@mariannebirkby.plus.com