A nuclear safety expert says Bruce Power’s plan to transport radioactive waste on the Great Lakes is the safest option.
University of Toronto physics professor Pekka Sinervo says shipping nuclear waste by boat creates the lowest risk of leaks.
He also says nuclear medicine procedures are increasing at hospitals, so shipments of nuclear waste will also increase until a long-term solution is found.
A spokesperson for the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission also downplays any threat to public safety and says hazardous materials have been shipped through the Great Lakes before.
Bruce Power Vice President Murray Elston notes if a person stood within a couple of metres of one of the generators for a two-hour period — they would have received radiation levels similar to a chest X-ray.
Bruce Power has applied for a licence to use the Great Lakes to ship decommissioned generators from its plant on Lake Huron to Sweden for cleansing.
The plan has upset some environmentalists and politicians, including Owen Sound Mayor Ruth Lovell Stanners and Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley.
