Greenpeace measures increased radioactivity near Umicore site … (Olen)

From 1922 to the late 1970s, Umicore’s predecessor companies produced radium and uranium products at its Olen plant. In the early 1980s, the radioactive buildings and installations were dismantled, but today large volumes of radioactive waste are still stored on the site.

For the RTBF, Greenpeace again carried out measurements in the vicinity of the site. “If we measured these levels in Chernobyl or Fukushima, it would clearly be an exclusion zone, a red zone,” said Jan Vande Putte, energy expert at Greenpeace, in the report that aired Wednesday.

“No risk to public health”

“Although the report from RTBF suggests otherwise, the storage of historic radioactive waste near the site in Olen is under control,” Umicore responds. “It does not pose a risk to public health or the environment. Radioactive waste resulting from the production process was stored in the factory as prescribed in the permits. In the meantime, the production plants were cleaned up and decommissioned, while the residue depot was cleaned to exclude any potential adverse impact on staff, residents and the environment. ”

Umicore also says that following the report, the Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC) made new measurements in the area where Greenpeace conducted tests. “The FANC was not informed of the specific location where Greenpeace was performing the tests, but this new thorough investigation showed that the measured values ​​were much lower than the results of the tests conducted by Greenpeace.”

These measurement results would show that there is currently no risk to public health and no further action is necessary. “The area where the specific measurements took place, just outside the fence of the radioactively contaminated site in Olen, is monitored monthly by Umicore and there is also daily supervision by Umicore staff who manage the nearby industrial landfill,” concluded Umicore.