Press release

Chemical disposal update - Sunday 29 October

An update on the disposal of chemicals at Sellafield

Work to safely dispose of chemicals at Sellafield continued this weekend and will continue tomorrow.

Any disposals will take place during daylight hours, may be audible off-site and will be in line with best practice and chemical disposal regulations.

We have provided updates directly to staff and stakeholders in the immediate vicinity of the site.

With the exception of the laboratory where the chemicals are being retrieved from, the site will continue to operate as normal.

Key facts

  • The chemicals are in sealed glass bottles of good condition.
  • The chemicals are being disposed of appropriately.
  • The materials involved are solvents which are widely used in industry.
  • The Explosive Ordnance Disposal team deal with hundreds of these issues every year, recovering chemicals from science laboratories in places like schools, universities and hospitals.
  • Because this is happening on the Sellafield site we exercise extreme caution and leave nothing to chance.
Published 29 October 2017