256 



TABLE 4.— 1980. ORIGIN OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS DUMPED AT THE NORTHEAST ATLANTIC SITE 



Radioactivity of wastes — curies 



Country m^effft^s Beta/gamma 



metric tons (excfuding Tritium Alpha 



tritium) 



1. Joint operation: 



Belgium 3,520 18,000 9,000 72 



Netherlands 1,880 1,200 200 2 



Switzerland 300 1,000 55,000 3 



2. United Kingdom 2,696 106,079 40,169 1,791 



Total 8,396 126,279 104,369 1,868 



Source: IIVICO. 



Mr. Studds. When you enumerate your principal concerns on 

 page 5, and there are three of them, with respect to the adequacy 

 of the Convention, you begin with your concern regarding the 

 adequacy of the IAEA's definition of low level waste, and you say 

 that, "the U.S. definition precludes the dumping of certain sub- 

 stances that might be permitted under the Convention, substances 

 that are often considered to be among the most dangerous and 

 toxic." 



What do you have in mind there? 



Mr. Brown. Plutonium, various actinides. Plutonium is very long 

 lived, very toxic. These substances are all the products of reprocess- 

 ing of spent reactor fuel. 



Mr. Studds. Those are defined by the Convention as low level? 



Mr. Brown. In terms of the Convention, you could dump them, if 

 the concentrations were sufficiently low. That is our concern. 



Mr. Studds. Does the United States consider them to be high- 

 level wastes, and therefore prohibited? 



Mr. Brown. Yes, indeed. 



Mr. Studds. And not discussable in terms of dumping? 



Mr. Brown. That is right. 



Mr. Studds. Perhaps this is not a fair question to ask of you, but 

 what would be the powerplants of a decommissioned nuclear sub- 

 marine, low level or high level waste? 



Mr. Brown. I think I would defer to the DOE for that one. 



Mr. Studds. I am sure they will defer to somebody else. But we 

 will ask them that. 



You refer to the need for more thorough research on the environ- 

 mental effects of the ocean disposal of those wastes, and obviously 

 those are concerns that we would address to scientists, who will 

 testify later, and you talk about the monitoring of the dumpsite. 



At least that implies that there is some, which is more than we 

 could say with respect to the dumpsites off our own shores. 



Let me ask you, does the London Convention apply to public 

 vessels, vessels owned by the subscribing States? 



Mr. Brown. Do you mean using those 



Mr. Studds. Military vessels, for example. 



Mr. Brown. So far as I know, the London Dumping Convention 

 covers all vessels under the registry of the parties, but let me turn 

 to my lawyer, 



[Short pause.] 



