ARPANSA - Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency

Date: 27 April 2007

2003 Tritium Contamination Incident at Bulimba Barracks, Queensland

There have been reports in the media today regarding contamination at the Bulimba Barracks, Queensland with radioactive material in 2003. The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), which regulates the safe use of radiation by Defence and its contractors, was advised in March 2003 that a survey had identified elevated tritium* levels in the electrical instrument repair building at the Barracks. The Bulimba Barracks repairs devices that use tritium to provide illumination for instruments used in the dark including devices such as compasses and gunsights. The incident was reported in ARPANSA’s 2003-04 Annual Report.

In response to the media reports, the CEO of ARPANSA said that “Estimates of doses to workers in the work area arising from the contamination were well within national and international dose limits. Doses to workers immediately outside the work area were within the range of doses expected due to background radiation. Assessment of off-site contamination of workers’ private cars and homes found radiation doses to be very small, in fact, trivial.”

“While I can indicate that the incident did not pose a health risk to members of the public, the incident reflects the poor radiation safety practices that existed at the Barracks at the time.”

ARPANSA undertook a site visit to Bulimba Barracks in November 2003 and conducted an inspection and survey in November 2005, following the decontamination and upgrade of the work area. The inspection revealed no major non-compliances and found that tritium levels were within acceptable working limits. The November 2005 inspection and its conclusions are reported in the Quarterly Report of the Chief Executive Officer of ARPANSA for 1 October to 31 December 2005, which was tabled in Parliament on 9 May 2006.

ARPANSA were notified by Defence in January 2006 that action had been taken to rectify all the minor non-compliances relating to the incident.

Defence was issued a licence to deal with controlled material (excluding unsealed radioactive sources) and controlled apparatus in 2001. It has been recognised that the Defence licence inventory of sources needs updating and such updates have occurred. ARPANSA is currently assessing an overall amendment to the Defence source licence.

ENDS.

*Tritium is a naturally occurring isotope of hydrogen, it is an emitter of beta radiation (electrons) with a 12 year physical half-life and an 8 day biological half-life in the body. It is regarded as being one of the least radiotoxic elements.

 

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