Community Liaison Committee Learns About Radiological Safety

For Immediate Release
September 8, 2023

SOUTH BRUCE, ON – Experts are confident that a deep geological repository (DGR) could be built to store used nuclear fuel at the South Bruce site in a way that would protect people and the environment from unsafe radiation exposure.

This was the conclusion of engineering consultants from Arcadis, and experts from the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), who presented their preliminary radiological safety study to the CLC on September 7. The independent peer review by GHD consultants, and the Radiation Safety Institute of Canada (RSIC), concurred.

Dr. Nava Garisto, Impact Assessment Coordinator with Arcadis explained how radiation is emitted, and the potential radiological effects during construction and operations of the DGR. She detailed the design and procedural safeguards planned to ensure community and worker safety, and environmental protections throughout the phases of the Project.

The work was reviewed by the RSIC, an independent, not-for-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting and advancing radiation safety at work, in the environment and in communities.

The RSIC’s Laura Boksman said that the current conceptual design and safeguards would result in negligible radiation emissions compared to what already occurs naturally in the environment. She concluded that the Project is a low radiological risk to the community.

In Canada, the recommended annual effective dose limit for the public is 1 millisievert (mSV). The current average effective dose generated by living near a licensed nuclear generating station is 0.001 mSv, which is 100 times less than radiation exposure from a chest x-ray.

Once the site is selected and a more specific design is developed, further radiological study will be needed. Future studies will also benefit from experiences with deep geological repositories abroad. As well, the impact on local emergency and health services will need further review after a site has been chosen.

A two-page Radiation Safety Measures summary has been mailed to households in the Municipality and can also be found on the Studies and Reports page of the municipal website along with the full study and peer review. Physical copies of the study have also been distributed to local libraries. The Preliminary Radiological Safety Study CLC presentation slides are also available on the municipal website.

The next CLC meeting on October 5th will feature presentations on the Environmental Media Baseline and Change Assessment, and the Biodiversity Baseline and Change Assessment.

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