Dose Reconstruction of Radioactive Discharges Case Study
Project: Dose reconstruction – radioactive discharges
Client: Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer / British Nuclear Fuels
The Challenge
British Nuclear Fuels, represented by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, has faced a number of important challenges in the High Court regarding the effects of radioactive discharges from their Sellafield plant on residents both of West Cumbria and of Ireland, and also on the environment more generally. In order to represent British Nuclear Fuels adequately, Freshfields needed a robust and scientifically well founded assessment of the impact of Sellafield’s discharges both on particular identified individuals, and on the environment more generally, throughout its operating history from 1952 onwards.
The Solution
Working closely with both clients, we were able to:
- Research and collate a mass of historic documentation in order to establish the operational history of the Sellafield site, in particular its radioactive discharges;
- Similarly research and collate the mass of data relating to monitoring of the environment for radioactivity released from the site;
- Set up comprehensive environmental models through which the discharge and environmental monitoring data could be reconciled, and the discharge history refined and validated;
- Use the models to assess likely intakes of radionuclides, and consequent radiation doses, to individual plaintiffs;
- Produce comprehensive and closely argued expert reports for submission as evidence in the Civil Courts.
The Benefits
- Our expert reports were presented successfully in court and defended in cross-examination;
- the work we had done enabled us to effectively brief our clients and their retained barristers on the weaknesses of the evidence from the plaintiff’s experts, resulting in the withdrawal of much of the environmental evidence from the plaintiffs;
- the Courts have found in favour of our clients.
Key publications:
J Gray, S R Jones and A D Smith: Discharges to the Environment from the Sellafield Site, 1951-1992. Journal of Radiological Protection, 15, No 2, 99-131, 1995.
S R Jones, S M Willans, A D Smith, P A Cawse and S J Baker: Deposition of actinides in the vicinity of Sellafield, Cumbria; accounting for discharges to atmosphere from the plant. Science of the Total Environment, 183, 213-229, 1996.