IP/08/1279
Brussels, 29 August 2008
ECURIE ALERT: Belgian nuclear authorities
alert the Commission about measures taken after releases of radioactive
iodine
On 28 August at 23:31 the European Commission
received an ECURIE alert notification from Belgium concerning a radiological
incident in the Institut National de Radio-éléments (IRE) in Fleurus,
Belgium. There had been a release of gaseous Iodine-131 from this facility. The
incident had been classified Level 3 on the international INES scale (comprising
7 steps) on 26 August. On the basis of the analysis of environmental samples the
Belgian authorities (Federal Agency for Nuclear Control) have now decided to
implement protective actions, in particular restrictions on the consumption of
local food produce (vegetables and milk), up to a distance of 5 km (sector
North-East). In accordance with the ECURIE procedures the Commission immediately
forwarded the alert notification to the ECURIE contact points in all Member
States, Switzerland.
The European Community Urgent Radiological Information Exchange (ECURIE)
system is the technical implementation of the Council Decision 87/600/Euratom on
Community arrangements for the early notification and exchange of information in
the event of a radiological or nuclear emergency. This 87/600 Council Decision
requires from the ECURIE Member States that they promptly notify the European
Commission (EC) and all the Member States potentially affected when they intend
to take counter-measures if necessary in order to protect their population
against the effects of a radiological or nuclear accident. The EC needs to
immediately forward this notification to all Member States. Following this first
notification, all Member States are required to inform the Commission at
appropriate intervals about the measures they take and the radioactivity levels
they have measured. All the 27 EU Member States as well as Switzerland and
Croatia have signed the ECURIE agreement.
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