Lancashire Environment 2002
Radioactivity
Radiation levels have declined significantly in fish and shellfish catches - down by 34% at Morecambe Bay and by 71% at Fleetwood between 1990 and 2000.
These reductions have resulted from increasingly strict regulation of discharges from the nuclear industry.
There is widespread public concern about the effects of discharges from the nuclear industries.
High levels of radionuclides in the food we eat can result in cancers.
Extensive monitoring is carried out to ensure that threats to human health are minimised. This indicator is concerned with the exposure to radiation for two critical groups in Lancashire - consumers of fish and shellfish caught at Morecambe Bay and Fleetwood.
A public dose limit is set at 1000 microSieverts per annum which is applicable to exposure to all forms of artificial radiation excluding those from medical sources.This is an international standard which was adopted into an EU Directive and followed into UK law under the Ionising Radiation Regulations 1999.
What is the role of LCC and other agencies?
Nuclear industry discharges are regulated by the Environment Agency (EA). The EA, together with the Food Standards Agency and the industries carry out extensive monitoring programmes.
The County Council works in partnership with the District and Unitary Authorities to carry out its own independent study. This is published annually as the RADMIL report available from public libraries.
| MicroSieverts per year | |||||||||||
| 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | |
| Morcambe Bay | 100 | 80 | 90 | 90 | 80 | 73 | 82 | 73 | 74 | 71 | 66 |
| Fleetwood | 80 | 70 | 80 | 70 | 50 | 31 | 35 | 30 | 27 | 21 | 23 |
Source: RADMIL