A POTENTIALLY “significant” radioactive particle has been found at a beach near Dounreay.
Clean-up contractor Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL) has informed the Scottish Environment Protection Agency of additional tests being carried out on the particle recovered during routine monitoring at Sandside on February 14. It is the 208th to be found.
Checks carried out on the beach indicated the particle had a higher than normal beta dose rate.
Further non-destructive testing indicated the estimated radioactivity at one to two MBq, which has the status of a “significant” particle. If confirmed by further analysis, this would be the first “significant” find at Sandside.
DSRL informed SEPA of the initial findings and the need for additional tests to understand the chemistry of the particle and verify its potential hazard.
These are now being carried out.
The beach at Sandside is around 3km west of the redundant nuclear site. DSRL continues to monitor Sandside beach and has instructed its contractor to carry out some additional monitoring following discussion with SEPA.
*For more on this story see Wednesday’s Caithness Courier.
