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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES BY DEPUTY P.V.F. LE CLAIRE OF ST. HELIER
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 5th JULY 2011
Question
Could the Minister for Health and Social Services state whether there is any routine testing of radiation levels in Jersey and in the surrounding coastal waters, and does the Department maintain data on how the radiations levels in Jersey (including in our drinking water) compare with other jurisdictions?
Answer
HSSD's Public Health Team undertake routine testing for radio-activity (not radiation) with assistance from the Environment Department. The data collected is published annually in UK's CEFAS (Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science) report entitled "Radioactivity in Food and the Environment" (www.cefas.defra.gov.uk/publications/scientific- series/radioactivity-in-food-and-the-environment).
CEFAS "Marine Radioactivity in the Channel Islands 1990 – 2009" report concludes that:
- Relatively low concentrations of radionuclides were detected in the marine environment around all the Channel Islands.
- Most non-transuranic radionuclide concentrations reported (caesium-137 and ruthenium- 106) have declined since the last review in 1998.
- Transuranic radionuclide concentrations reported (plutonium-239+240 and americium- 241) have either declined since the last review in 1998, or there has been no significant change in concentrations.
- The effects of discharges from local sources[1] have continued to be of negligible radiological significance.
Information can be found at: www.gov.je/Environment/ProtectingEnvironment/Land/Contamination/Pages/Radioactivity.aspx
Jersey drinking water (both supply and raw water) is routinely tested by Jersey Water and is regulated by the Department of the Environment according to the provisions of the Water (Jersey) Law 1972 (as amended) and associated orders.
Radioactivity analyses requires specialist analytical equipment and is undertaken by the Jersey Water's consulting analyst's laboratory in southern England. Verification of water quality results are checked against duplicate samples analysed by the States of Jersey Analyst and the Consulting Analyst's laboratory results.