---

Dept of Trade and Industry

Answer

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the storage of chocolate radioactively contaminated following the fire at Windscale in 1957. [200708] Mr. Mike O'Brien: A fire broke out in Pile 1 on 10 October 1957, and was extinguished on 11 October. Radioactivity was released to the environment. The main public health concern was the contamination of locally produced milk by the short-lived isotope iodine 131. Milk produced within 80 square miles of the site was banned from 12 October, and the ban was extended to 200 square miles on 15 October. At that time, the chocolate manufacturer Rowntree ran a factory in Egremont, close to the Windscale site. Records in one UKAEA file show that on 8 November 1957 Rowntree wrote to seek compensation for 90 tons of chocolate milk crumb manufactured between 11 and 15 October, which they believed to have been contaminated as a result of the Windscale fire. UKAEA contested this claim on the grounds that "the crumb is completely safe for consumption owing to the short half- life of the radioactive iodine which was the sole source of contamination". The correspondence continued for some months, culminating in an exchange of letters between the Chairman of Rowntree and Sir Donald Perrott of UKAEA. Rowntree acknowledged "we fully accept your advice that, as a matter of scientific fact, the 90 tons of crumb do not represent a radioactive hazard", but stated that in the interest of customer relations and commercial prudence, they wished to have the crumb destroyed or disposed of. They sought the UKAEA's help to do so, and offered to meet the costs incurred. UKAEA agreed "to accept responsibility for destroying this material" on Rowntree's behalf.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

200708; 428 c596W

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Contamination Chocolate Health hazards Fires Radiation exposure Nuclear power stations Milk Radioactivity Storage Sellafield Rowntree

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk