Written by Aaron Fernandes Tuesday, 08 December 2009 16:03
WESTERN Australian communities will be exposed to dangerous levels of radiation resulting in higher risks of cancer and hereditary disease, if the push towards opening new uranium mines and a domestic nuclear fuel program is successful, according to Dr Irene Kirzcenow.
Speaking at the public debate ‘Going Nuclear? True or False; Nuclear is a proven, reliable and secure low carbon emission energy technology’, Doctors for the Environment spokeswoman Dr Kirzcenow said the entire nuclear fuel cycle, from uranium mining to nuclear reactor programs and treating nuclear waste, presented serious health risks to nearby communities.
“Despite what is described as rigorous environmental and health approval processes, we know there are frequent accidents resulting in environmental contamination and exposure to workers at each link in the nuclear chain.
“During the mining process, radiation seeps out of the water table and into the food chain. There have been incidents such as contaminated water going into the worker’s water supply at Ranger uranium mine (Kakadu), these types of events number over one hundred at Ranger alone and are common throughout the industry world-wide.”
Dr Kirzcenow rejected the affirmative team’s argument that nuclear power was a proven, safe technology, as the mining of uranium posed an increased risk of cancer for communities living in the vicinity of the mine.
“Because we have no long term studies on uranium mining and health in Australia, our risk assessment is based on theoretical rather than observed grounds, so to say the technology is proven safe is not entirely true.
“We know that there is an excess of lung cancers, other solid cancers, leukemia and hereditary risk posed during uranium mining. This is described as an ‘acceptable risk’ as the individuals involved are said to be reasonably informed, set to gain directly from their involvement and the risks appear relatively low.”
Dr Kirzcenow described nuclear power as “part of the same unsustainable thinking which has helped create our current problems”, with the storing of nuclear waste creating an environmental disaster equal to climate change.
“Nuclear power will distract us from seeking truly sustainable practices and will bring with it a raft of serious and long lived health threats, problems caused by the unique health affects of long-lived radiation,” she said.
“The radiation in nuclear reactors is uniquely dangerous, persistent and indiscriminate - potentially damaging our most precious legacy, the core human blueprints stored in our DNA and passed on to future generations.
“The standard of what is considered an acceptable dose of radiation have changed over time. As the health impacts have been understood permissible doses have gone down but our model is still that there is no safe dose of radiation.”
Born and educated in WA, Irene Kirczenow began her clinical career at Royal Perth Hospital and has worked as a GP in both rural and metropolitan practices. She is an active member of the WA and national management committees of Doctors for the Environment of Australia and sits on the executive committee of the Conservation Council of WA.
Nuclear debate splits WA
Nuclear reactors: more waste than fuel
Nuclear power: a surer carbon-free path than renewables
Nuclear Power: the global energy
