HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0212.406 1996-1998 dii~ ~ y
Mr. Chairman -Members of the Council of Hawaii County. P~~-'"`""` p
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Thank yo,. for taking this time to receive input from Ci::l Defense. I know
that this council has listened to and have had a tremendous amount of
information presented in the past few weeks and months. I know a
problem has been created for many as to the credibility and reliability of
some of the information presented. I commit to you members of the
council and community of Hawaii that I will not be part of that problem.
My presentation will focus on those areas only that relate to the
responsibility of the Civil Defense Agency as mandated by the Emergency
Operations Plans of the State and County of Hawaii. #1 - #2 There are
three areas relating to the irradiation issue that I wish to focus on at this
time.
1. I t i s requested that the Hawaii County Council direct that the only
source of radiation considered for the facility will be of Cobalt 60
and consideration of other radioactive sources must be reviewed and
approved by this council. The reason for this is that the Hazard and
Ris~C ana~sis of other sources of radioactivity would be different.~ucc
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Information thus presented today on Hazard and Risk related to the
radioactivity source Cobalt 60 only. _
2. Concerns have been expressed by some in regards to possible
location of the site of this facility. It is requested that the council
monitor this carefully as NRC regulations upon approval of a facility
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makes no siting requirements in regards to r$atcr~al
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hazards. NRC regulations for r allows the building of the
facility in a tsunami zone with the belief that the ^c~struction
requirements will prevent the building frc.~ being carried off and
that shielding and radioactive sources will not be damaged by waves.
It is coNi~~a. that hazards of the tsunami entails more than water
but also debris and boulders that may weigh many tons that could
endanger the intQgritr of the facility. The NRC regulations
stipulates that radiation shields in seismic areas be designed to
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retain ,yi~intearity after a large earthquake. It is requested that
the USGS/HVO be consulted as to the type of seismic activity that
we must plan for and for siting recommendations in relation to other
volcanic hazards.
3. The third area that I need to address here i s to clarify the Hazards
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and Risk ~ee~en~e~t with Cobalt 60. So much information has been
misinterpreted by people that I believe that the truth of Cobalt 60 in
relationship to hazards and risk have been lost to many trying to
understand the issue. There are no disagreements by anyone in the
field of radiological S~ ~ ~ F that will not state that any unshielded
exposure to cobalt 60 pencils designated for a fruit irradiation plant
~ - t- can result in deaths and will probably
result in death if it is a w ~ ~ ~ < I~ r~" exposure. Any comparison _
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of Cobalt 60 > ~ L~ forte irradiation plant with other radiation F 5
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_~oia.Waue cannot and should not be made. This, members of the
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council is where we need to reassure the public that we know the
hazards and risk and that the requirements of the NRC must be and
will be followed. Those requirements insure that no person will
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ever be exposed to the gamma rays of the radioactive source in the
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transportation, storage. use and removal of that source.
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the need for the council to focus on this at the proper time. I am
unsure if the recommendations made in the Hawaii Tribune Herald
editorial on May 7 on safe guarding public health with a local
radiation control board to strictly monitor the facility with
enforcement powers is possible. But the merit of the idea is worth
pursuing. I close with part of a statement written to me by a person
I hold in the highest esteem.
" I believe that every effort must be made to ensure that the facility
meets the highest of safety standards. The nuclear materials used
for irradiation pose a significant environmental hazard if they are
not containered, handled and disposed of properly. All parties have
an interest in making certain that a Big Island irradiation facility
needs the highest standards." Senator Dan. K. Akaka, May 14
On a personal note, I do not understand why there is so much hostility and
polarization and I wish it was not so.