Dear Sir
Last Wednesday, December 2, I attended a talk in Oldbury by Dr Ian Fairlie, who is an independent consultant on radioactivity in the environment, who has
degrees in chemistry and radiation biology, and who has worked in the past for various UK government departments and
regulatory agencies. Given the significance of what Dr Fairlie had to say, and the fact that the Gazette was not represented, due to a clash of commitments I understand,
I thought you might appreciate a brief comment on the talk.
Dr Fairlie's main topic was a recent study sponsored by the German government which has dramatically rekindled the childhood leukaemia debate, because it directly
associates increased incidences of childhood leukaemias with proximity to German nuclear installations. The study provoked public outcry and media debate in Germany
because it indicates that the increased risks of childhood leukaemia are very large, are unequivocally linked to proximity to nuclear reactors, appear to extend as far as 70 km
from the nuclear reactors, and are accepted by the German Government, which has decided NOT to build any more nuclear reactors in that country.
What a contrast with the UK government, which has always ignored any suggestion of any link between nuclear power and leukaemia, despite the numerous studies
which show such a link, and which is bent on pursuing the nuclear option, despite the fact that nuclear power can do nothing to improve Britain’s energy security or
help it meet the urgent challenge of climate change, as the government argues. Furthermore, the waste disposal problem is still not resolved, and it is already clear that
the nuclear companies will not be able to build their plants without massive subsidies from the taxpayer. I'm old enough to remember the slogan used by the nuclear industry
when the first generation of stations was built. 'Electricity too cheap to meter'! We've been conned by the nuclear industry before - don't let it happen again!
Yours etc
Tony Harding
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