Mud dumped in Welsh waters could contain plutonium

Mud dredged from the Hinkley C nuclear construction site in Somerset, England, and dumped 1.5 miles off the Welsh capital, Cardiff, into the estuarine bay, could contain plutonium. But a recent motion in the Welsh Assembly to halt dumping operations until the mud was tested for plutonium and uranium, was defeated by the Labour Party whose whip mandated a "for dumping vote." The decision was viewed as a betrayal by Welsh citizenry, over 100,000 of whom signed a petition to demand a full spectrum testing of the mud. The dredge site is where Hinkley A discharged into the Bristol Challenge. Hinkley A was originally used for plutonium production for the UK nuclear weapons complex. Read our op-ed on why the vote went the wrong way and the potential consequences for health, safety and the environment.