The previous Scottish Executive used fear of terrorism as an excuse to keep information about radioactive contamination of drinking water secret.
According to The Sunday Herald, 26 August 2007, the Scottish information commissioner, Kevin Dunion, has found the Executive guilty of breaching freedom of information legislation by failing to release documents entitled 'Release of radionuclides in drinking water systems'. - Executive guilty of using terrorism as an excuse to refuse FoI request
Dunion said: "A notable feature of this case is that the Executive has suggested release of this information may have dire consequences. It has said that release could constitute an offence under anti-terrorism laws, that it might harm national security and it could even be misused in a way which could be lethal to the public."
According to Dunion, such claims turned out to be completely unfounded.
Dunion said: "After consideringthe nature and content of the information being withheld I found that not only are these highly worrying claims overstated, in fact it is not possible to find any justification for them at all."
The Executive claimed that releasing the documents would breach section 79 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 because it "might prejudice the security of any nuclear site or of any nuclear material". The Executive failed to produce any evidence to back up its case.
The Sunday Herald also reveals, 26 August 2007, that a new radioactive waste dump to store plutonium-210 is being planned in Scotland. - Oil industry plan to bury polonium-210 in Scotland triggers health fears
Polonium-210 is a major contributor to critical public doses of radiation from shellfish such as mussels and whelks.
Dr John Large, an independent radiation consultant, said "You have to be very wary about disposing of material like this in landfill. It can spread into the potable water supply and be taken up by plants.
"And there's a danger that, if it is dumped in a field, it will be ploughed up or travel to the surface.
"There it would disperse into the atmosphere as it decayed, creating a plume of radioactive particles which would be inhaled by residents living nearby.
"It would pass directly from their lungs into their blood and, in the longer term, cause cancers like leukaemia."
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