BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada will be conducting soil sampling later this month for the presence of beryllium and uranium at several sites in Peterborough, including at Prince of Wales Public School across from the facility.
The annual soil sampling is a requirement as part of the company’s licence renewal approval it received in December 2020 from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.
This year’s samples will be conducted on Aug. 25, the company announced Friday.
In 2020, BWXT completed soil sampling for the presence of beryllium. All results were below the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment’s guidelines for the protection of environmental health and human health.
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Prior to the renewal approval, a commission heard multiple concerns about beryllium emissions and evidence of “increasing” beryllium concentrations in properties near the facility on Monaghan Road, in particular at Prince of Wales Elementary School.
BWXT says uranium is a “naturally occurring,” weakly radioactive element that “exists virtually everywhere.” The company uses uranium and “small amounts” of beryllium — a lightweight metal — to join portions of fuel bundles using uranium dioxide pellets from its facility in Toronto. The pellets are inserted into the tubes to create the fuel bundle.
The soil sampling results are expected to be complete by the end of the year, the company says.
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