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A local nuclear watchdog group has filed a request with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission asking the agency to reconsider its decision to grant SRB Technologies a tritium-processing licence.
SRBT uses tritium, a radioactive substance, to manufacture glow-in-the- dark signs and other illuminated products at its Boundary Road plant in Pembroke.
There is continuing debate in scientific circles about how dangerous tritium is and in what amount.
When it issued SRBT a tritium-processing licence, Canada’s nuclear regulator indicated that it was pleased with SRBT’s improvements over the years.
The commission also stated it believes SRBT is qualified to carry on its operations while staying within its regulatory limits for public and environmental safety.
The Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County are not convinced.
Group spokesman and researcher Ole Hendrickson said, after talking with legal council, requesting the commission reconsider its decision was the group’s only recourse.
“Tritium is far too dangerous to allow routine releases of large quantities into environments where people live and work,” said Mr. Hendrickson. “This would never be allowed in the United States or in European countries. The CNSC, by law, is required to protect the health and the environment, but we question whether this decision will do either.”
The processing licence was issued to SRBT in June.
The commission decided in February 2007, following a public hearing held in 2006, that SRBT would not make adequate provision for the protection of the environment when processing tritium and suspended its ability to process the substance.
The company was forced to lay off about two-thirds of its workers.
SRBT responded to the commission’s concerns and then requested a new licence.
Following a pair of public hearings, the commission issued the company a two-year processing licence as it felt the company had made major improvements to both its understanding of its responsibilities under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act and associated regulations and to its performance in the area of environmental protection.
Sunni Locatelli, a spokeswoman with the commission, said the CNSC received a letter dated Aug. 19, 2008 from the Canadian Environmental Law Association as solicitor for the Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County.
She said, “As this matter has not yet been considered by the commission and, in accordance with procedural fairness, it would be inappropriate to comment at this time until the commission has properly examined and considered the request.”
Mr. Hendrickson said the concerned citizens group had pursued a similar course through the Environmental Law Association a few years ago asking that ‘action limits’ for tritium releases be added into SRBT’s operating licence.
“They came back with a decision saying maybe we could work something out with SRB and we did come to an agreement,” Mr. Hendrickson said.
It is unlikely that a similar agreement could come about in the same way this time as the request made in the latest letter would require action and agreement from the commission.
In the letter, the concerned citizens group said it has three problems with the commission’s decision and was requesting that it take another look at its decision.
The letter was submitted by Joseph Castrilli, counsel with the Canadian Environmental Law Association, who is the solicitor for the concerned citizens group regarding this issue.
During the public hearings, the concerned citizens group felt a health study of Pembroke was needed because of SRBT tritium emissions over the years.
“That’s the number one thing,” Mr. Hendrickson said. “We feel there needs to be a health study to understand the health impact.”
The group also feels that Canada’s existing tritium emission limits are too high and so it is requesting SRBT’s limits be lowered 20-fold until the health study is completed.
The third sticking point for the group is the commission’s granting of a temporary exemption to the company for being in arrears in paying cost recovery fees to the CNSC.
SRBT president Stephane Levesque said he was not unwilling to comment on the group’s request to the commission, he was unable to comment, as he did not have a copy of the letter that had been sent. He, therefore, did not know exactly what the group was asking the commission for.
In the commission document about SRBT’s latest licence titled ‘Record of Proceedings, Including Reasons for Decision,’ the commission addressed the health study issue and the emission limits concern expressed during the public hearing.
Basically, the commission stated it was not worried about these issues at this time.