[NukeNet] Northwatch: Nuclear Sacrifice on the North Shore

[Kay Cumbow]

Nuclear Sacrifice on the North Shore
Brennain Lloyd (North Bay, Ontario)  10:14 am 06/26/2008

<http://www.greatlakestownhall.org/opinion/guest.php?forumid=3&topicid=1061&sid=18fc1c58723d02b431e12efa07719720#starttopic>http://www.greatlakestownhall.org/opinion/guest.php?forumid=3&topicid=1061&sid=18fc1c58723d02b431e12efa07719720#starttopic 


On its way to becoming nuclear reactor fuel, nuclear waste or nuclear 
weapons, all the uranium that is mined and used in Canada – which is 
twenty-five percent of what is used around the world – must make its way 
through the uranium refinery located just a few miles west of Blind River 
on the north shore of Lake Huron.

The Blind River uranium refinery – the largest in the world – is located 
within 375 meters of the Mississagi River and 1500 meters of Lake Huron. 
The Mississagi River, a spawning ground for species such as walleye, perch 
and sturgeon, bounds the Cameco property to the west. The north shore of 
Lake Huron forms the southern property boundary, with the refinery’s liquid 
effluent discharging into the north channel of Lake Huron via an outfall 
pipe diffuser located about 500 metres off shore in about 5 metres of water.

Uranium giant Cameco Inc. is the sole owner and operator of Canada's only 
uranium refining and conversion facilities, including the Blind River 
refinery and the Port Hope conversion Plant. In Blind River, uranium 
concentrates called “yellowcake” are processed into high-purity uranium 
trioxide (UO3) and then shipped to Port Hope. At the Port Hope conversion 
plant - on the shore of Lake Ontario, two hours east of Toronto - the UO3 
is further processed into uranium hexafluoride (UF6) for use 
internationally and into to uranium dioxide (UO2) for use in the Canadian 
CANDU reactors.

The uranium refinery in Blind River was built by Eldorado Nuclear in the 
early 1980s to replace an older refinery that had operated at the Port Hope 
site. The Blind River refinery, which began operating in 1983, has a 
production capacity of 18,000 tonnes of uranium trioxide per year. 
Production is expected to increase to 24,000 tonnes as soon as regulatory 
approvals being sought now are in place.

Cameco was formed in 1988 by the merger of the federal Crown corporation 
Eldorado Nuclear, and the provincial Crown corporation Saskatchewan Mining 
Development Corporation (SMDC). Cameco is now the world's largest uranium 
producer and processor. Cameco owns 31% of Bruce Power, and 100% of the 
uranium refining and processing facilities in Blind River and Port Hope, 
plus the majority of uranium production in North America, including high 
grade uranium mines in northern Saskatchewan.
Uranium is a naturally occurring radionuclide. As with all radionuclides, 
there is no safe level of exposure to uranium (a radionuclide is an atom 
with an unstable nucleus, which gives off excess energy and undergoes 
radioactive decay). As radionuclides decay, they emit radiation in the form 
of alpha or beta particles and gamma photons, depending on the 
radionuclide. Uranium is an alpha emitter. While outside the body, alpha 
emitters are the least harmful, and gamma emitters are more harmful, but 
once inside the body alpha emitters are about 20 times more damaging than 
beta emitters or gamma emitters. So although alpha radiation can’t 
penetrate through a sheet of paper or a dead layer of skin, alpha emitters 
are extremely hazardous if ingested or inhaled. Exposure is linked to 
cancers, immune disorders, and respiratory conditions.

During the 25 years of operation the Blind River refinery’s operation – 
beginning with vegetation samples taken from 1983 to 1987 and continuing up 
to the most recent soil sampling – uranium concentrations have increased in 
the vegetation and the soil, doubling in some cases and increasing 100 fold 
in others. In May 1990, the refinery Aaccidentally@ emitted 178 kg of 
uranium dust into the atmosphere when maintenance workers failed to close a 
valve. This allowed the uranium dust to bypass the dust collectors and 
travel directly out the stack for a 26 hour period. As a product of 
standard operating procedures, uranium emissions have ranged between 12 and 
15 kilograms per year over the last several years (these are significant 
releases; put into context discharges to air are normally measured and 
reported in parts per million, rather than by kilogram).

Major expansions are underway at the Blind River refinery, including an 
increase in the volume and types of wastes to be incinerated, and an 
increase in production.

Cameco is seeking a license amendment from the Canadian Nuclear Safety 
Commission (CNSC) to allow an increase of their licensed production 
capacity from 18,000 tonnes per year to 24,000 tonnes per year at the Blind 
River refinery. According to CNSC documents, “with the production increase, 
nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and uranium concentrations are predicted to have a 
measurable increase above existing levels
”

In order to meet new Canada wide standards for emissions to air, Cameco is 
upgrading their hazardous waste incinerator at Blind River. The incinerator 
is used to burn combustible low-level radioactive waste from the refinery. 
But rather than upgrade the incinerator at Port Hope as well, Cameco will 
be shipping all of their contaminated combustible waste from Cameco=s Port 
Hope operations to Blind River for incineration. Cameco will also be adding 
uranium contaminated used oil from both operations to the waste stream 
going into the Blind River incinerator.

Cameco has acknowledged to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission that they 
expect exposure levels and emissions will increase, despite the 
modifications to upgrade the pollution control equipment. The increases are 
expected as a result of increased production and the addition of Port Hope 
wastes to those Blind River wastes that are currently being incinerated, as 
well as the uranium contaminated oil.

To accommodate those expansions, Cameco Corporation is proposing an 
amendment to their provincial operating permit which allows them to 
discharge contaminants to air. A review of their proposal revealed a number 
of disconcerting details. It appears that the Ministry of the Environment 
has allowed consultants for Cameco Corporation to set the
limits for uranium emissions to air, in the absence of any provincial 
standard. Cameco’s proposal did not include any estimates fore the total 
loading or total release expected from the operation, and did not include 
even passing mention of the close proximity of the Mississaugi First 
Nation, whose community is immediately adjacent to the refinery.

It’s a wait and see game at the moment, with Cameco having requested 
amendments to both their operating license issued by the Canadian Nuclear 
Safety Commission, and their provincial permit. While the CNSC is generally 
seen as being quite permissive and so is not expected to impede the 
expansion, the Province of Ontario could and should do better. Whether they 
will or not remains to be seen.
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