Sarnia Mayor Bradley Claims Victory?

Sarnia Mayor Bradley Claims Victory? Anti-Nuclear groups, whether it is in relation to initiatives such as new build, DGR, relicensing or the transportation of the steam generators from Bruce Power all get headlines by heaping a cast of inaccuracies into the public arena or exploiting one piece of a story at the exclusion of other parts of the story for the express purpose of neglecting information that would ensure proper context. Aligning with one of these groups is simple and easy; it requires little effort and often grabs cheap political points and to this end one has to give Mayor Bradley credit for hooking his wagon to this easy target. The facts of the proposed shipment do not bear out the negative publicity about shipping the steam generators. Approximately 90 per cent of the metal in the steam generators can be decontaminated, melted down and safely reused. The rest would have to be returned to the Bruce Power site for long-term storage. Each steam generator contains 100 tonnes of steel but less than four grams of radioactive substances. Perhaps putting some context to this statement is valuable. Smoke detectors in countless homes contain a source of ionizing radiation. It is generally Americium 241 and weighs about 0.5 grams. The shipment is made up of 16 steam generators with each steam generator containing approximately 4 grams of low level radioactive substances. The total radiation in the shipment is about 64 grams or the aggregate radiation of about 130 smoke detectors. In other words the sum would be equivalent to the radiation found in a block or two of homes equipped with smoke detectors. Knowing these facts is crucial if the debate is to remain reasonable. Instead publicity from the anti-nuclear side would have people believe that the shipment is some overwhelming shipment of nuclear waste when in reality it is an extremely low level shipment steeped in the long history of the nuclear industry in judicious and regulated of storage of waste, fuel, etc. When this shipment is targeted by politicians it is always clear that it is aimed at political outcomes or the same effort and indignation would be applied to each and every shipment of toxic material on the lakes and on the road each and every day on a 24 hour basis. Claiming a victory; if Mayor Bradley of Sarnia is claiming a victory in the battle for cheap political points, then well done! He has garnered no points as an educated and thoughtful politician in relation to this issue. Dave Trumble Kincardine