BfS : Safety of population and staff is of top priority
For the period following the takeover of Asse the BfS rules out health risks
The enhanced cancer cases in the region around the Asse mine published by the Land of Lower Saxony need to be looked into consequently. Of top priority is the question whether the enhanced cancer rate could possibly be linked to the previous operation of the Asse repository. Although the enquiry was carried out prior to the Asse mine’s takeover by the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), the BfS will contribute comprehensively to clarifying this issue by bringing in its technical expertise.
Since the takeover of the Asse repository in 2009 the BfS had to extend the radiation protection and monitoring measures significantly. Among these measures are safety measures underground and the monitoring of possible escape paths for radioactivity. The monitoring measurements underground and above ground have shown that the Asse mine currently poses no health risk either to the staff or to the population.
Also, the current evaluation of comprehensive soil and field crop samples from the vicinity of the Asse mine has shown that no contamination through radioactive substances from the Asse mine needs to be feared.
The plans for retrieving the radioactive waste need to be in compliance with today’s comprehensive radiation protection and monitoring requirements. How this can be realised under the very difficult conditions is currently being investigated in the scope of the so-called fact-finding (trial phase).