Press release 25 Apr 2005

UNGAURDED RADIOACTIVE SITE DISCOVERED ON EVE OF CHERNOBYL ANNIVERSARY

The 26th April marks a day of utmost importance in the world and in the anti nuclear struggle – the 19th commemoration of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant Meltdown. The tremor from the explosion was felt by the whole world, even in Africa. Occurring only four days after Earth Day celebrations, this day  will be remembered for the darkness it brought to so many people who continue to suffer the effects. This tragic day will continue to haunt people for many generations to come. The Nuclear Energy Costs the Earth Campaign (NECTEC) mourns that day.

The day before the anniversary of the worst nuclear accident in history, Earthlife Africa Tshwane Metro has uncovered high nuclear radiation levels in the vicinity of Pelindaba. A mere twenty meters away from a newly established low-cost housing scheme a site has been discovered where it appears radio active materials have been buried.  
 
 According to Earthlife Tshwane, more than one kilometer outside the Pelindaba fence, NECSA or one of its predecessors, established a so-called "calibration facility" where radioactive ores were deliberately buried in shallow concrete containers. The radiation was used to calibrate their instruments. Today this plot is unguarded.  A rotting fence and an open gate with no warning signs do little to keep people out or to warn them of the potential dangers on the site. 

Earthlife Tshwane measured the strength of the radiation from the radioactive sources buried and found levels up to 20-30 µSv/h. The legal limit for ionizing radiation measured directly outside a storage place for radioactive materials shall not exceed a dose rate of 2.5 µSv/h. 

If these measurements are correct, then a child spending 3 minutes per day playing at this site would receive a radiation dose in excess of what is considered just acceptable under South Africa regulations (= 250 µSv/year). Dose limits, as laid down by the South African Department of Health require the effective dose for the general public not to exceed 1mSv and 20mSv for occupational exposure. However this limit does not correspond with international limits. According to the European Committee on Radiation Risk the total maximum permissible dose to members of the public should not exceed 0.1mSv.
 
The release of radioactive materials into the environment causes radiation exposure which damages cells. Damage to internal organs can occur with exposures as low as 10mSv. Radiation can also lead to cancer, birth defects or leukemia.
 Children would be particularly vulnerable because of their rapidly growing bodies.

If this report is true this incident shows both the irresponsibility by NECSA of guarding nuclear risks and the lack of regulatory oversight by the National Nuclear Regulator. If even a long-established and well-known nuclear facility like this is not properly guarded, what about the many unknown sources in South Africa?
Pro nuclear bodies have been trying to convince people that nuclear energy is safe, how can this be so when unguarded sites are found in South Africa? The Chernobyl accident is a reminder of how dangerous nuclear energy is and the risks involved in its development. The Chernobyl accident killed more than 30 people immediately, and as a result of the high radiation levels in the surrounding 20-mile radius, 13 500 people had to be evacuated. Figures from the Ukraine Radiological Institute suggest that over 2,500 deaths were caused by the Chernobyl accident.
ELA calls for an investigation into this latest potential nuclear disaster.  As a country with a human rights culture, we must protect our children first and foremost.
At a civil society stakeholder planning session, the participants produced the Chernobyl Black Day Declaration.  The full text of the declaration is attached.  But the following extract serves to highlight its significance:
Africa is not a dumping site for nuclear waste or a testing ground for unsafe nuclear technology. It is unjustifiable to use public funds to sponsor nuclear plants that are a threat to people and the environment.

“To have radioactive materials lying unguarded is unacceptable. The potential dangers are far too great for this situation to be taken lightly, as nuclear materials falling into the wrong hands could be deadly. What does this say about our National Nuclear Regulator?” said Olivia Andrews, a campaigner at Earthlife Africa Cape Town.

The Chernobyl Black Day Commemoration
There has been a move to increase nuclear power in Africa and within South Africa, with Eskom's proposals for the Pebble Bed Modular nuclear Reactor (PBMR). Nuclear waste is being generated at Koeberg and the Nuclear Energy Corporation's (NECSA) site at Pelindaba, and people are dying of nuclear related diseases. As an Apartheid military hangover, the nuclear industry has no room in a rights base society.

The Nuclear Energy Costs the Earth Campaign (NECTEC) is committed to the total eradication of the nuclear industry in Southern Africa. We oppose all aspects of nuclear power generation including mining, fuel production, transport of nuclear materials, reactors, waste and the consequent lack of safety for people and our environment.

Africa is not a dumping site for nuclear waste or a testing ground for unsafe nuclear technology. It is unjustifiable to use public funds to sponsor nuclear plants that are a threat to people and the environment.

NECTEC confirms that:

• We will continue to safeguard our people and the environment by defending the right of all people to a safe and healthy environment, including access to safe and sustainable energy.
• We will continue to fight corruption in the nuclear industry and tear down the walls of secrecy and lies that characterize the nuclear industry.
• We will continue to broaden the base of the anti-nuclear movement and promote sustainable and just alternatives.

We demand that:
• government and the nuclear industry are transparent and accountable
• the South African government commits to a nuclear free future and shuts down and cleans up all nuclear facilities
• the National Nuclear Regulator is transformed – it is unacceptable that the Safety and licensing manager of the PBMR company is now the head of the NNR, thereby presiding over his own application.
• international best practice on radioactive waste storage is implemented and upheld, being encapsulation and above ground monitored storage.
• land allocated to the nuclear industry be used for sustainable and efficient energy production.

ESKOM AND NECSA SIZOKUBA NQOBA!

NECTEC is led by Earthlife Africa (ELA) (comprising the following branches:
ELA-Cape Town; ELA-Ethekweni; ELA-JHB; ELA-Namibia; ELA-Tshwane)
in partnership with : Environmental Justice Networking Forum; NAMREC; BISHOPS CONFERENCE; COSATU; National Union of Mineworkers