YOUR article "Nuclear sites linked to child leukaemia"(July 19) is misleading in its suggestion that children living near nuclear power stations are more likely to develop cancer. There is no evidence of increased incidence of leukaemia or any other cancers around British Energy sites. This has been shown by research carried out over a number of years by the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE) an independent group whose research findings are supported by the UK government.
The average dose to the UK population from nuclear power discharges is 0.3 microSieverts. To put this into context patients would receive 120 times as much radiation from medical applications of radiation (such as X-rays) as you would get from the nuclear industry.
British Energy prides itself on safe production and reliable supply of one-fifth of the UK's, virtually carbon free, electricity. As fossil fuels diminish, it is essential that nuclear continues to play a part in the UK's energy mix to ensure security of supply as well as to help combat the effects of climate change.
Yvonne White Regional Public Relations Officer (Scotland) British Energy Group plc
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article