National Security

[White Indigene]

Mmm, OK

But

" Scientists at a nuclear testing station in Melbourne traced the source of the radioactive gases to Sydney after they picked up 10 specific events between November, 2008 and February last year."

Thats what ANSTO found, its in the web site I posted.

And google.search shows us that results "from natural graphite was measured over a temperature range of 100 to 950°C and that of 133I and 135I was estimated. The effects of fission rate and fission density on the fission gas release were examined. The β-decay process of iodine within and outside the graphite was observed to control the gross release of xenon. Possible mechanisms of an anomalous sink of 88Kr in the plot of log R/B versus log λ were discussed. A new model for knock-out release was proposed on the basis of its temperature dependence found. These results were compared with those of post-irradiation experiments and explained by a mechanism whereby fission gas is trapped in defects created in graphite by fission and β-decay energy, and released through annealing of the defects."

Which means the escape was carried via gas, with charged particles contained in the heavy metals. Dust, in other words.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenon
'Xe reactor poisoning played a major role in the Chernobyl disaster.[69] A shutdown or decrease of power of a reactor can result in buildup of 135Xe....Under adverse conditions, relatively high concentrations of radioactive xenon isotopes may be found emanating from nuclear reactors due to the release of fission products from cracked fuel rods,[70] or fissioning of uranium in cooling water.[71]

So all it needed was say a bushfire at the same time, and then there might have been a problem indeed.

[boxy]

There might have been a problem, I guess, but there wasn't.

[Outlaw Yogi]

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_re ... -27598-AUS

The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation International Monitoring System site in Melbourne contacted Lucas Heights after detecting the radioxenon isotope Xe-133. They were told that 36 hours earlier the first "hot commissioning trials" at ANSTO's Lucas Heights radioisotope facility for Molybdenum-99 had taken place. Molybdenum-99 is produced by the fission technique - the intense neutron-bombardment of a highly purified uranium-235 - and is used in nuclear medicine. While the nuclear reactor - and the government body that oversees it - insists the release of the radioxenon by-product were no threat to public safety, no one, including neighbours of the suburban Sydney plant, were informed. "Xenon gases are highly volatile and, being inert, they are not susceptible to wet or dry atmospheric removal mechanisms," a scientific report obtained by The Sunday Telegraph says.

I grew up just across the Worronora valley/River from the Lucas Heights reactor site.
They release radioactive gasses and water constantly.
They used to dump their low level waste (coolant water) into the river untill the Sutherland Shire Council had it abated, but all the pipe-work is still in place, and is still used when they have accidents. These days its pumped into the local aquifer and the urban sewer system and released into the ocean at Kurnell, just around the corner from Cronulla beaches.

The high level waste (used fuel rods) are stored in a compound just across New Illawarra Rd down beside the urban waste dump. They're placed in lead tubes set in a slab of concrete (which has leaked in the past) and is surrounded by chain wire and 3 strands of barbed wire {although apparently now updated to razor wire}. There are no guards/sentries and probaly still no cameras either. Why buy radioactive materials for dirty bombs ect off Ruskis whe the Aussies leave it lying around for the taking?

Yep, it was reported to the relevant authorities by ANSTO, at the time of the release, and was found to be well within safety standards.

They usually report at least 3 days after the event if at all, but quite often not, and the safety standards have been changed/altered numerous times.
When they have a big blunder and get caught out, they do what govt depts typically do when plagued by scandal, they change their name/title.
That's why the Australian Nuclear Commission is now the
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation