Dounreay Contamination

Dounreay foreshore. A Caithness councillor wants to know why there has been an
increase in the number of radioactive particles found on the foreshore at
Dounreay this year. Struan Mackie, a Thurso and Northwest Caithness Highland
councillor and chairman of the Dounreay Stakeholder Group (DSG), made the call
after 15 irradiated particles were discovered on the foreshore area between
February and March. It is understood to be the highest number since 17 were
found in 1996. Mr Mackie said: “We wish to ascertain why there has been an
increase in particle detections and whether this was preventable. “Regular
public updates are provided to the Dounreay Stakeholder Group through our Site
Restoration sub-group, and it is of the utmost importance that these matters
are dealt with in a robust but transparent manner.” Dounreay confirmed
there has been an increase in the number of particles found on the foreshore. A
spokeswoman said: “We closely monitor the environment around the site and
have seen an increase in particles found on the Dounreay foreshore this year. “The
foreshore is not used by the general public. We are looking at wind and wave
data to see if we can pinpoint a trend, and will report our findings when they
are complete. Safety is our number one priority and we continue to monitor the
foreshore on a regular basis.

John O’Groat
Journal 4th Nov 2022

https://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/councillor-wants-to-know-why-there-has-been-an-increase-in-r-292436/