Rena raises questions over uranium transportation

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Rena raises questions over uranium transportation

3News NZ

Iranian technicians lift a barrel of "yellow cake" to feed it into the processing line of Uranium Conversion Facility (Reuters file)

Iranian technicians lift a barrel of "yellow cake" to feed it into the processing line of Uranium Conversion Facility (Reuters file)

By Patrick Gower

The Rena disaster has raised questions about the way another dangerous substance is being shipped by the container load through our ports - uranium.

There was not any on the Rena - which is a relief.

Because 3 News has learned Tauranga port authorities were concerned as recently as last year, that there was no plan to deal with a radioactive spill.

And there still is not one.

Yellowcake uranium is wanted by nuclear plants around the world, and shipped through ports like Tauranga.

It is low-level radioactive material but Prime Minister John Key says don't worry about it.

“It’s not something people should be fearful of,” says Mr Key.

Yet documents obtained by 3 News show Tauranga harbour authorities had plenty of concerns about uranium just last year.

The harbour master warned:

- “It is not specified who would be responsible for cleaning up a uranium spill.”

- “There are no means of detecting radioactive materials in this port.”

- “The Tauranga fire service does not have any specialised detection equipment”.

The harbour authorities from the Bay of Plenty regional council today admitted nothing has changed.

And the Greens do not like that.

“We haven't had the appropriate safeguards in place and, as the Rena highlights, risks and accidents do happen and we have to be prepared for any worst case eventuality,” says MP Gareth Hughes.

David Lange made uranium a dirty word.

But New Zealand's nuclear-free status has not stopped it coming through our ports en route from Australia to overseas markets. It is now transported fortnightly, with hundreds of tonnes in each load.

Although, Mr Key rates it as little more than Australian dirt.

“If it got into the environment it is worth noting that the environmental impact would be very low.”

But Mr Hughes is not so sure.

“Imagine the international news headlines if there was uranium yellow cake bobbing off the Bay of Plenty coast in nuclear-free New Zealand.”

Yellow cake may not be completely toxic but nobody wants it floating around at sea. And with the difficulties handling the Rena spill the question has to be asked, whether we ever really had a decent plan to deal with dangerous materials in our waters.

3 News

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Comments

19/10/2011 9:35:28 a.m.

Kevin wrote:

I'm no scientist- but I do know a thing or two about radioactivity. For a start, water is an excellent moderator- it's great at stopping radioactivity. In fact, operators of Nuclear power stations store fuel and waste in at least 6 feet of water to protect workers from any harmful effects. Following that logic, if Yellowcake sank to the bottom of the sea, I'm guessing that any radioactivity would be cancelled out, rendering it quite harmless...

18/10/2011 11:59:20 p.m.

Gaiaus wrote:

John Key's government also said that the COREXIT used on the oil was not harmful... yet they are telling us its cancerous... Is our government lying so much now it can not stop?

18/10/2011 10:16:55 p.m.

SmokeScreen wrote:

Never mind the GMO corns and Soy that destroy nutrition and serialize lab RATS . Eat up dumb ones.

18/10/2011 10:06:04 p.m.

Roger wrote:

I am surprised by the fact that a Prime minister would say not to worry about it ! as this bbc article explains about yellow cake - Once extracted, uranium ore is taken to a mill to be crushed and ground into a fine powder. This is then purified in a chemical process and reconstituted in a solid form known as "yellow cake", due to its yellow colouring. Yellow cake consists of 60-70% uranium, and is radioactive. The basic aim of nuclear scientists is to increase the amount of U-235 atoms, a process known as enrichment. To do this, the yellow cake is dissolved in nitric acid and chemically processed before being heated to become uranium hexafluoride gas. Uranium hexafluoride is corrosive and reactive and must be handled very carefully. Pipes and pumps at conversion plants are specially constructed from aluminium and nickel alloys. The gas is also kept away from oil and grease lubricants to avoid any inadvertent chemical reactions.

18/10/2011 9:51:51 p.m.

Roger wrote:

Mr Key rates it as Australian dirt , nothing to worry about !, the following extract from a BB article , paints a rather different picture . Once extracted, uranium ore is taken to a mill to be crushed and ground into a fine powder. This is then purified in a chemical process and reconstituted in a solid form known as "yellow cake", due to its yellow colouring. Yellow cake consists of 60-70% uranium, and is radioactive. The basic aim of nuclear scientists is to increase the amount of U-235 atoms, a process known as enrichment. To do this, the yellow cake is dissolved in nitric acid and chemically processed before being heated to become uranium hexafluoride gas. Uranium hexafluoride is corrosive and reactive and must be handled very carefully. Pipes and pumps at conversion plants are specially constructed from aluminium and nickel alloys. The gas is also kept away from oil and grease lubricants to avoid any inadvertent chemical reactions.

18/10/2011 7:57:48 p.m.

joyce wrote:

Unbelieveable,lets have the facts so we can decide at election who we can trust to take care of our land sea air therefore our citizens,Nuclear free should include all radioactive products and not enable others to proliferate same.How cavalier and hypocritical can our leaders get. Or are they planning to leave this country oince theyve ruined it and bled us all dry?