Environmental Monitoring for Radioactivity

To facilitate comparison of the various surveys carried out in the Plymouth area, results from the Local Authority, Environment Agency/Food Standards Agency/CEFAS and Babcock surveys can be seen by following the links below. These pages are shown with kind permission of the respective authors and publishers. Some differences between the results are to be expected because of the statistical uncertainties inherent in the measurement of radioactivity at the low levels present in the environment.

Available Environmental Monitoring Reports:

Babcock

Babcock makes regular surveys of radioactivity in the marine environment in accordance with the requirements of its Authorisation for the discharge of radioactive waste, issued by the Environment Agency.

Monitoring for radioactivity is carried out at various locations along the banks of the Rivers Tamar, Lyner, Tavy and Plym. Measurements are made of environmental gamma dose rates and samples are taken of the sediment along the low waterline, and of seaweed, mussels and river water at various points. The monitoring points and arrangements for monitoring, sampling and analysis have been agreed with the Environment Agency.

Download: Environmental Monitoring for Radioactivity around Devonport Royal Dockyard Annual Report 2010

Published by: Babcock

Reproduced with kind permission of the author(s). © The Author.

Rife-14

The links below take you to the Radioactivity in Food and the Environment annual report, RIFE-14, and extracts relevant to the Devonport area. RIFE-14 combines the results of independent monitoring for radioactivity in the environment carried out by the Environment Agency and Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) on behalf of the Food Standards Agency.

Link to: Radioactivity in Food and the Environment Report 2008

Download: RIFE-14 Extracts

Published by: The Food Standards Agency, Environment Agency, Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Heritage Service.

Reproduced with kind permission of the Food Standards Agency. © The Author.

SERMG

The Southern England Radiation Monitoring Group (SERMG) was set up to look at environmental levels of radioactivity in the South of England. It is managed by a Steering Group of Local Authority representatives which includes a technical co-ordinator from the University of Southampton Geosciences Advisory Unit (GAU). The GAU within the SERMG provides technical advice to the Local Authorities and support the monitoring programme including sample collection, analyses and report production. The information at the link below is taken from the SERMG Quarterly report and is reproduced with the permission of the publisher GAU, Southampton Oceanographic Centre and the SERMG.

Download: Extracts from SERMG Quarterly Report November 2008 - January 2009.

Reproduced with kind permission of the author(s). © The Author.

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