SRB Technologies (SRBT) uses tritium in glass tubes to make “glow-in-thedark” emergency exit signs. For fifteen years, SRBT allowed contamination of vegetation, soil, air, surface water and groundwater in and around Pembroke ON with radioactive tritium far above acceptable levels. According to the Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), SRBT is responsible for more than one quarter of all tritium emissions from all nuclear facilities in Canada.
CNSC’s findings were mainly a response to the concerted actions of the Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County (CCRC). Recognizing perceived health effects, many residents have stopped drinking municipal water and eating local produce. They have been trying to stop SRBT’s operation, restore contaminated areas and obtain compensation for those affected. Ole Hendrickson of CCRC, along with Dr. Rosalie Bertell representing IICPH, Dr. Gordon Edwards, Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility and a number of others have long been involved in the effort. Support also came from FARE, a Port Hope citizens group where CAMECO operates a uranium refinery.
When threatened with loss of their operating licence, SRBT came up with the idea to have their tritium emissions piped into Pembroke sewage effluent which runs into the Ottawa River, alerting Ottawa City Council.
Following hearings in October and November 2006 where Dr. Rosalie Bertell represented IICPH, the CNSC ruled that SRBT must cease all manufacture of the signs and allowed only possession of the tritium and property. Defying all logic, CNSC recognized the contamination that had been caused by SRBT but denied any health effects on the population!
With this decision, SRBT essentially could not operate. It came up with a plan to allow it to continue its business and suggested an amendment to allow it to send their empty tubes to other licensed companies to be filled with tritium and returned to SRBT for assembly of the signs and delivery to their customers. The company believes this plan to be in compliance with the possession-only licence. At a public hearing on April 12th, we opposed this plan, joined with the other organizations in a collective letter to Prime Minister Harper. At press time, a decision on this issue was not announced. In the opinion of IICPH and others, there is no need for these signs, as more effective alternatives are available, e.g. signs with light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
Tritium lights are also hazardous during use. If oxidized and inhaled, enough tritium is contained in a single exit sign to cause immediate death. Emergency measures for signs that have been accidentally or purposefully broken in the United States include evacuations and site decontamination. As these lights age, even more danger can occur. The glass tubes act as sponges for the tritium, converting it into a more hazardous and soluble oxidized form. High levels of tritium oxide discovered in Scotland, South Africa, Italy and several states in the U.S. have been linked to discarded signs made by SRBT. The disposal of used tritium-filled signs to monitored, radioactive storage sites is currently under review by U.S. regulators In these perilous times, security risks posed by tritium getting into the wrong hands is even more troubling. Tritium’s main use is as an explosive that can trigger and more than double the explosive force of an atom bomb. Canadian tritium exports could be used by rogue states, terrorists or criminals.
Dr. Rosalie Bertell’s submission to November 2006 CNSC hearing, “The Health Effects of Tritium” is available at www.iicph.org+_Please let your MP know how you feel about this issue._