Dounreay site

Particles were created during the dismantling and reprocessing of used fuel rods and elements in chemical plants that operated at Dounreay from the late 1950s.

The site operated two waste facilities that were authorised for the disposal (and, at a later date, storage) of solid waste from reprocessing of fuel. These were the underground shaft and silo. The shaft, for example, is believed to contain several tonnes of aluminium swarf that was stripped from fuel elements prior to reprocessing. This swarf would contain some particles and was sent to the shaft for disposal.

Throughout its history as an operational site, surveys were carried out across the site to detect radioactive contamination.

It has been speculated that particles probably were detected in the environment of the site from the earliest surveys but not recognised as such at the time.

In the 1990s, as awareness increased of the particles issue, extensive additional surveys of the site were carried out. This included roadside verges, clifftop land and drainage systems. By 2009, these surveys had yielded 89 particles.

Detailed investigations have been carried out into a variety of potential pathways for particles once they had been created in the chemical plants.

This has identified a number of areas of the site where more paricles can be expected to be found during decommissioning.

 

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