Radioactivity over Sunshine Coast likely to have come from Lucas Heights Nuclear Facility

In a long article, Paul Langley traces the history of nuclear radiation releases and coverups. Marcus Grezechnik of Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) was reassuring, and vague about the origin of this radiation But – this same Marcus Grezechnik is one of the authors of the only research study done on radioactive clouds in Austtralia. That study of radioactivity in the atmosphere above Melbourne, in 2008 and 2009 found that the source was the Lucas Heights nuclear facility, in Sydney. – Christina Macpherson

That cloud of reactor gas reported off the Sunshine Coast – Not Fukushima. It’s Lucas Heights, Paul Langley’s Nuclear History Blog, 14 Jan 2012,

Where would the suggested radioactive dust come from?.. Why would “weather changes” (local effects) bring a radioactive cloud to the Sunshine Coast? Where is the cloud normally? …

…There’s a long history of bungles, radioactive releases, safety breaches, worker exposures, accidents, harrassment of personnel who try to report radiation leaks from Lucas Hieghts reactor and especially the poorly run radiopharmecutical production facility. Where workers have to handle little glass vials of stuff made in the reactor for use in medicine. More than one glass vial has been dropped and spilt over a worker.

Quote: “Evaluation of radioxenon releases in Australia using atmospheric dispersion modelling tools.

The origin of a series of atmospheric radioxenon events detected at the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) International Monitoring System site in Melbourne, Australia, between November 2008 and February 2009 was investigated. Backward tracking analyses indicated that the events were consistent with releases associated with hot commission testing of the Australian Nuclear Science Technology Organisation (ANSTO) radiopharmaceutical production facility in Sydney, Australia. Forward dispersion analyses were used to estimate release magnitudes and transport times. The estimated (133)Xe release magnitude of the largest event (between 0.2 and 34 TBq over a 2 d window), was in close agreement with the stack emission releases estimated by the facility for this time period (between 0.5 and 2 TBq). Modelling of irradiation conditions and theoretical radioxenon emission rates were undertaken and provided further evidence that the Melbourne detections originated from this radiopharmaceutical production facility. These findings do not have public health implications. This is the first comprehensive study of atmospheric radioxenon measurements and releases in Australia. Crown Copyright (c) 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rick Tinker, Blake Orr, Marcus Grzechnik, Emmy Hoffmann, Paul Saey, Stephen Solomon. Evaluation of radioxenon releases in Australia using atmospheric dispersion modelling tools. Journal of environmental radioactivity. 2010 May;101(5): 353-61 ” end quote.

Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency, 619 Lower Plenty Road, Yallambie, Victoria, Melbourne 3085, Australia. rick.tinker@arpansa.gov.au
Journal of environmental radioactivity 2010 May http://www.nextbio.com/b/search/article.nb?id=20346548

http://nuclearhistory.wordpress.com/2012/01/14/that-cloud-of-reactor-gas-reported-off-the-sunshine-coast-not-fukushima-its-lucas-heights/

January 14, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, Queensland

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