Whitehaven Harbour: Even the Creature from the Black Lagoon Could Not Survive in This - But Hey its ... “All Good!”

Image: Creature from the Black Lagoon in the Red Lagoon by @beatrixbadgering

PRESS NOTICE - the following has been sent to press …

An open letter has been sent to Colin Cox the Director of Public Health for Cumberland Council. This follows ongoing concerns about the safety of Whitehaven Harbour which is now in its third year of pollution from old mines pouring into Queen’s Dock from the Bransty Rail Tunnel culvert In a reply to campaigners Colin Cox states: "“there is no need for any public health advice to be issued to people living in, or visiting, Whitehaven.” Campaigners say this is at odds with previous advice published in local press last year stating: “People are being warned to avoid paddling, ingesting the water and eating mussels found on the hulls of boats in the harbour.”

TOO TOXIC FOR THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON

The letter from campaigners to the Director of Public Health states: “Toxic orange Whitehaven harbour is being aggressively promoted as a centre for water sports and harbour events . The public are being encouraged to spend time in the polluted harbour splashing about and playing. The Solway Firth Partnership revealed in a 2023 report that even the invasive tube worm cannot survive in Queen’s Dock.

Images from the Solway Firth Partnership Invasive Non-Native Species Report 2023/4

Even the Creature from the Black Lagoon would have a struggle to survive in this says Marianne Birkby founder of Radiation Free Lakeland. Campaigners criticise the lack of sampling of the harbour silt by the authorities and point out that even this “scant data” reveals shocking results of “ huge iron levels, cadmium, ammonia, and other metals (including nickel) are all elevated but there have been no tests for arsenic and mercury, or, given that this pollution is coming from deep mines, radium, thorium and uranium”. Also highlighted in the letter are the existing radioactive elements including AM241 found in the harbour resulting from decades of Sellafield’s discharges to sea.

TOXIC BREW WITH MULTIPLIED IMPACTS

Campaigners point to peer reviewed research indicating that heavy metals and radioactive elements combine to enhance the toxicity of both: “The connection between heavy metals and radioactivity is particularly concerning. Heavy metals and radionuclides often co-occur in the environment due to their similar geochemical behaviors. This dual contamination can exacerbate health risks, as heavy metals can enhance the toxicity of radionuclides and vice versa. The presence of both contaminants can lead to compounded biological effects, increasing the likelihood of cancer, genetic mutations, and other severe health impacts” (Baeyens and Fernandes, 2018; Joint and Organization, 2007; Rizk et al., 2017). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0969804324003944

Radiation Free Lakeland are calling for the Edge water sports centre, funded by Sellafield and due to open this summer, to be repurposed from a water sports centre to a Centre for Marine Pollution Investigations.

FULL LETTER TO DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Dear Colin

Thank you for your reply to Radiation Free Lakeland regarding our concerns about Whitehaven harbour. We agree that the orange colour is “disconcerting.” We vehemently disagree however, with the ‘all clear’ regarding public health advice. You say: “there is no need for any public health advice to be issued to people living in, or visiting, Whitehaven.” This seems at odds with previous health advice as reported in the local media last year: “People are being warned to avoid paddling, ingesting the water and eating mussels found on the hulls of boats in the harbour”.

Summary of Concerns: Ongoing (since 2022) discharge of acid mine pollution into the harbour from the culvert in Queen’s Dock which then joins the ongoing discharges including AM241 from Sellafield (since 1950) routinely found in the silt at Whitehaven. Whitehaven harbour is being promoted as a centre for water sports and harbour events . The public are being encouraged to spend time in the polluted harbour splashing about in this water which is no longer water. ‘Water’ in which even invasive tube worm cannot survive (photo diagram from Solway Firth Partnership)

Heavy Metals and More from Acid Mine Pollution

We asked the Environment Agency for all analysis of pollution coming into the harbour via Queen’s Dock culvert and were surprised to see that this is not classed as a “pollution event.” The two dates of samples sent to us under FOI were 20/12/22 and 08/02/023. How can the situation which may be changing be quantified with such scant data? What the data available does show is that the iron levels are huge, cadmium, ammonia, and other metals (including nickel) are all elevated. There have been no tests for arsenic and mercury, or, given that this pollution is coming from deep mines, radium, thorium and uranium.

Radioactive Pollution from Sellafield

Last year we took samples of silt from the harbour floor of Queen’s Dock which you query as showing 37 Bq/kg of AM241, however even this queried figure is, as you point out, lower than samples taken in the outer harbour by the authorities . The authorities samples include readings of AM241 up to 1.5 Bq/g ie a hefty 1500 Bq/kg. This is of course all perfectly legal (as are the discharges of uranium into the river Ribble (from Springfields nuclear fuel manufacturing plant) recently exposed by the Guardian). The levels of radioactive elements found in Whitehaven silt are “within UK limits” and justified, as you rightly say, by the officially prescribed “dose’ to the public. The current method of dose calculation is called into question with scientists saying that : “If these particles are inhaled or ingested, the particles deliver extremely large absorbed dose rates to very small volumes of tissue within any organ in which they become embedded. This is especially true for alpha-emitters” (Absorbed dose rates and biological consequences of discrete alpha-emitting particles embedded in tissue ( Marco Kaltofen Boston Chemical Data Corp, Phillip Plato, Consultancy in Radiation Dosimetry). People paddling, ingesting the water and eating mussels would also clearly be at risk of also ingesting particles of AM241 in the silt.

Heavy Metals from Acid Mine Pollution

We asked the Environment Agency for all the sample readings taken of the pollution coming into the harbour via the culvert in Queen’s Dock and were surprised to see that this is not being classed as a “pollution event.” The two dates of samples (attached) sent to us under FOI were in 20/12/22 and 08/02/023. The minimal (to say the least) sampling by the authorities is highly worrying. How can the situation which may be changing be quantified with such scant data? What the data available does show is that the iron levels are huge, cadmium, ammonia, and other metals (including nickel) are all elevated as well. There have been no tests for arsenic and mercury, or , given that this pollution is coming from deep mines, the likely to be present, radium, thorium and uranium.

Toxic Brew with Multiplied Impacts:

Recent research from different sources indicates: “The connection between heavy metals and radioactivity is particularly concerning. Heavy metals and radionuclides often co-occur in the environment due to their similar geochemical behaviors. This dual contamination can exacerbate health risks, as heavy metals can enhance the toxicity of radionuclides and vice versa. The presence of both contaminants can lead to compounded biological effects, increasing the likelihood of cancer, genetic mutations, and other severe health impacts” (Baeyens and Fernandes, 2018; Joint and Organization, 2007; Rizk et al., 2017). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0969804324003944

Whitehaven Harbour Pollution Impacts Whitewashed

It is clear that all concerned are playing down the impacts of the ongoing pollution in Whitehaven Harbour. The signage on the harbour describes the ‘orange water’ as “floodwater.” This is a misrepresentation of what is happening. The pollution entering the harbour is clearly from old mines in the vicinity. These mines include anhydrite, coal and iron. The public are further deliberately misled about the health of the harbour with events such as the arrival of a Spanish Galleon in July and the opening of a new £multi- million water sports centre called The Edge. Both of these are sponsored by Sellafield who as you have pointed out know full well and have done for decades that there is a huge spectrum of “legally” discharged radioactive wastes in the harbour silt. The water sports centre and Galleon are opportunistic greenwashing of an ongoing pollution event.

Regarding the risks to the public from paddling, swimming and using the harbour for water sports the Environment Agency have rather nonchalantly told us: “As there are no designated bathing waters in or around the harbour (closest is St Bees) we do not undertake regular sampling and reporting of results. We will continue to engage with the (Whitehaven Pollution) Taskforce and partners in discussions about how best to respond to the current situation.”

Whitehaven’s New Water Sports Centre Repurposed to Centre for Marine Pollution Investigations?

Given the ongoing situation and the short term “fix” agreed by the Taskforce to merely discharge the acid mine pollution to the Solway Firth and Irish Sea, we urge you as Director of Public Health along with Sellafield, The Coastal Communities Fund, and The Whitehaven Pollution Taskforce to abandon the opening of the Edge water sports centre putting people’s health at risk from the multiplied impacts of acid mine and radioactive pollution and instead repurpose the building as a Centre for Marine Pollution Investigations.

Kind Regards

Marianne

Radiation Free Lakeland

(address supplied)

References below and Full letter from Director of Public Health, Cumberland

“People are being warned to avoid paddling, ingesting the water and eating mussels found on the hulls of boats in the harbour”. https://cumbriacrack.com/2024/11/06/new-safety-concerns-raised-over-whitehaven-harbours-orange-water/

Radiation Free Lakeland crowdfunded report into Whitehaven Harbour Pollution

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-whitehaven-harbour

Solway Firth Partnership Invasive Non-Native Species Report https://www.solwayfirthpartnership.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Report-on-Whitehaven-Marina-Marine-INNS-2023.pdf

The Edge water sports centre sponsored by Sellafield and the Coastal Communities Fund https://socialimpact.sellafieldsite.co.uk/project/the-edge/

Spanish Galleon visit to Whitehaven sponsored by the nuclear industry https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/25072999.galleon-summer-visit-receives-welcome-boost-asturfeito/

Revealed: three tonnes of uranium legally dumped in protected English estuary in nine years

Exclusive: expert raises concerns over quantities allowed to be discharged from nuclear fuel factory near Preston -The Guardian 22nd may 2025 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/22/revealed-uranium-from-uk-nuclear-fuel-factory-dumped-into-protected-ribble-estuary

Environment Agency - samples from Whitehaven Harbour https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/advice_to_the_public_regarding_a#incoming-3011377

Sent with Proton Mail secure email.

Hide original message

On Thursday, 22 May 2025 at 12:37, Colin Cox <Colin.Cox@cumberland.gov.uk> wrote:

Dear Marianne

Thank you for sending me this report, which I have read with interest.

Clearly the orange water in Whitehaven harbour is disconcerting and a matter that the public, and the Council, want to see resolved. Considerable work is underway to try to identify the source of the problem and the possible solution, and I will pass your report to my colleagues who are leading on this work. I will confine my response to the matter of safety, and in particular your finding of americium-241 in the sediment sample.

As you are aware, radioactivity has been discharged from nuclear and industrial sites in the area for many decades. That activity has been routinely monitored by both Sellafield and environmental regulators including the Environment Agency and the Foods Standards Agency. Results from monitoring by the regulators are published annually in the Radioactivity in Food and the Environment (RIFE) report series which is available from Radioactivity in food and the environment (RIFE) report - GOV.UK. Those results show that americium-241 is regularly found in sediment samples collected at Whitehaven (Outer Harbour) with reported activity concentrations in the 2023 report (the last year published) being around 0.08 Bq/g (Table 3.8 of the 2023 RIFE report).

In your report, it is stated that Am-241 is present at more than 37kBq because of the relative size of the peak taken from an alpha spec graph included in the Eberline Analytical report (shown on page 21). However, the report uses the incorrect graph from the Eberline report. The graph shown is taken from page 44 of the Eberline report; this graph is the spike sample that is used to calibrate the alpha spectrometry equipment, not your sample of material from Queens Dock. The correct data can be found on pages 53/54 and 58/59 of the Eberline report; these show the Am-241 levels to be lower than those for the Am-243 spike. The detailed data is provided in the table on page 14 of the Eberline Analytical report, which gives activity concentrations in the sample of 4.73 and 5.97 pCi/g. Converting these to SI units for comparability results in activity concentrations of 0.175 and 0.22 Bq/g. The RIFE reports provide information for a range of locations in Cumbria and for 2023 the activity concentrations in sediment range from 0.055 to 1.5 Bq/g. So the sample that you had analysed fits within the range of concentrations reported by the regulators in the RIFE reports.

Total doses to people living around Whitehaven based on the measurements reported in RIFE are no more than around 0.23 mSv/y (see summary table 2). This level of dose is significantly below the public dose limit for exposure to artificial radioactivity present in the environment (of 1 mSv/y), and is mostly a result of exposure to radionuclides such as polonium-210 rather than to isotopes of americium. Regardless of the source of radioactivity around Whitehaven, a dose of around 0.2 mSv is very low. The UK population dose from exposure to radioactivity present naturally in the environment is about 2.3 mSv/year (described in PHE-CRCE-026); as a further comparison, the exposure to natural radon for people living in Cornwall is just below 7 mSv/year.

In conclusion, the findings of your report are consistent with what we have known about the levels of radiation in the environment around Whitehaven for many years. The orange water does not appear to have added to the radiation dose to a level that is a risk to public health, and there is no need for any public health advice to be issued to people living in, or visiting, Whitehaven.

Yours sincerely,

Colin Cox

Colin Cox

Director of Public Health, Customer and Community Wellbeing

Public Health, Customer and Community Wellbeing | Cumberland Council

Cumbria House | 107-117 Botchergate | Carlisle | CA1 1RZ