Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 23 Mar 1993

Vol. 428 No. 1

Written Answers. - Transport of Radioactive Substances.

Mary Harney

Question:

406 Miss Harney asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications if, in view of the widespread concern in the Newcastle area of County Dublin as a result of the fall of a radioactive container, with the substance Iodine 125, from a moving vehicle on Thursday, 11 March, he will give details of the controls that exist on the movement of such lethal substances; the reporting and regulation mechanisms which exist between the Radiological Protection Institute and the handlers, users and holders of such containers; the licensing and enforcement arrangements in place for the storage of such substances; the quantity of such waste at Lyons Estate and the controls and conditions under which it is stored; the action, if any, he intends to take to ensure that there is no danger to public health in the area and that there will be no recurrence of an incident of this kind; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications (Mr. Cowen)

The transport of radioactive substances is prohibited save under licence issued by the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, the RPII, in accordance with section 8 (j) of the Radiological Protection Act, 1991 and regulations made under it. The general regulations governing conditions laid down for the custody, use, manufacture, importation, distribution, transportation, exportation and disposal of such substances are contained in the Nuclear Energy (General Control of Fissile Fuels, Radioactive Substances and Irradiating Apparatus) Order, 1977 (S.I. No. 166 of 1977). I have arranged for a copy of these regulations to be forwarded to the Deputy. The specific conditions relating to each licence are contained in a schedule to that licence.

The incident mentioned by the Deputy occurred when a 25 litre drum containing low-level radioactive material, an aqueous solution containing Iodine-125, used as a diagnostic tool in medicine, fell from a vehicle which was transporting it from UCD's veterinary college at Ballsbridge to a radiation storage area at the College's Lyons research farm near Celbridge. The radioactivity level was just slightly above the level that requires material to be kept in storage for a period to allow radioactivity to decay prior to final disposal. The drum was properly packaged and labelled. The spillage which occurred was minimal, no person was contaminated and the label enabled the drum to be recognised and the alarm to be raised and responded to quickly and effectively.

The RPII inspectors on the scene satisfied themselves as to the origin of the material and made satisfactory arrangements for the onward dispatch of the material to its destinations. The store at the Lyons Industrial Estate contains approximately 28 MBq of Tritium and 666 MBq of Iodine-125 which is kept in bags and drums. The storage facilities are considered by the RPII to be appropriate for this purpose.

The reports by UCD of the accident, required by section 34 (1) of the Radiological Protection Act, 1991, and that of the institute inspectors' are now being studied with a view to taking corrective and legal action as may be considered necessary.